Iga Swiatek has said that she faces the ‘biggest battle of her life’ after being handed a one month ban for failing a drugs test earlier this year.
Just like the Jannik Sinner case, Swiatek was handed a provisional ban in September which at the time the Pole was forced to miss the Asia swing which she claimed was due to personal reasons and coaching changes.
However Swiatek successfully appealed in the period in which she missed three tournaments and has today been given a one month ban by the International Tennis Integrity Agency for testing positive for trimetazidine(TMZ).
Just like Sinner, Swiatek was able to successfully show that she beared no fault or negligence which is why she has received a limited ban.
The no fault or negligence was proven as it is a non-prescription medication that is sold in Poland which was enough to prove her innocence.
However Swiatek will still be banned for one month but will be able to participate in the United Cup at the start of the season.
This is what ITIA CEO Karen Moorhouse had to say about the case, “Once the source of the TMZ had been established, it became clear that this was a highly unusual instance of a contaminated product, which in Poland is a regulated medicine,” Moorhouse began her statement with.
“However, the product does not have the same designation globally, and the fact that a product is a regulated medication in one country cannot of itself be sufficient to avoid any level of fault. Taking into account the nature of the medication, and all the circumstances, it does place that fault at the lowest end of the scale.
“This case is an important reminder for tennis players of the strict liability nature of the World Anti-Doping Code and the importance of players carefully considering the use of supplements and medications. It is vital that appropriate due diligence takes place to minimise the risk of inadvertent ADRVs such as this.
“Help and support is available to players and their entourages, both directly through the ITIA, and through other organisations and schemes which check and test products.”
In response to the ban Swiatek has released a long video in Polish that has English subtitles where she declares her innocence and hopes that her fans can still continue to follow her in the ‘biggest battle of her life.’
This case will once again raise questions over the lack of transparency over these cases and it will now be interesting to see if WADA appeal the case just like they did with Sinner.
As for Swiatek she will hope to get over this latest setback ahead of the United Cup which is at the start of 2025.
