Why did Iga Swiatek get a one-month doping ban? What did she test positive for?

Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner faced doping allegations, with Swiatek accepting a one-month suspension due to contaminated medicine.

Iga Swiatek is the second high-profile tennis player to test positive for a banned substance this year, joining Jannik Sinner. While Sinner, currently the No. 1 ranked man, was fully cleared, Swiatek, who slid from No. 1 to No. 2 last month, accepted a one-month suspension that was announced Thursday (November 28, 2024).

The International Tennis Integrity Agency said it determined that Swiatek's tainted urine sample was because of a contaminated medicine she took and so she bore a low level of responsibility.

“These are not cases of intentional doping. These are cases — in Sinner’s case ... no fault or negligence. In (Swiatek's) case, very low end, no significant fault or negligence,” ITIA CEO Karen Moorhouse said in a video call with reporters. “So I don’t think this is a cause for concern for tennis fans and the like.”

Here is a look at the details of the two cases:

Swiatek is a 23-year-old from Poland with five Grand Slam titles who has been the best player in women's tennis over the past 2 1/2 seasons, particularly on clay courts. She won four of the past five French Open titles, including the last three in a row, plus one U.S. Open championship, and has been ranked No. 1 nearly every week since April 2022. Swiatek also collected a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics in early August.

Swiatek's urine showed low amounts of trimetazidine, a banned heart medication commonly referred to as TMZ, in an out-of-competition test on Aug. 12, 10 days after her last match at the Summer Games and shortly before the start of the Cincinnati Open. She was told she was being provisionally suspended on Sept. 12, eight days after losing to Jessica Pegula in the U.S. Open quarterfinals.

It was found that the TMZ had contaminated a sleep aid, melatonin, that Swiatek's psychologist bought for her at a pharmacy in Poland, where it is sold as a medicine. According to the ITIA report, Swiatek listed 14 medications or supplements she was using, although not melatonin.