Iga Swiatek Reveals How Much She Spent To Prove Her Innocence After Failed Drugs Test  - UBITENNIS

Iga Swiatek Reveals How Much She Spent To Prove Her Innocence After Failed Drugs Test 

By Adam Addicott
5 Min Read

Iga Swiatek admits she is in a more fortunate position to deal with issues surrounding anti-doping after testing positive for a banned substance earlier this year. 

The world No.2 tested positive for the heart medication trimetazidine (TMZ), during an out-of-competition test in August and was provisionally suspended from the Tour for 22 days. However, Swiatek managed to overturn her suspension after proving the source of her failed test was a contaminated medication called melatonin which is manufactured in Poland and is used to treat jet lag. 

Following a hearing, a panel concluded that the five-time Grand Slam champion had ‘No Significant Fault or Negligence’ but issued a one-month suspension, which meant she had an additional eight days suspended dating from the time of their verdict. According to the panel, the penalty was less severe as the contaminated item was a medication and not a supplement. The ITIA perceives medication to have a lower degree of risk of contamination as it is processed under EU regulation.

However, the speed of the case has drawn criticism from some when other players had to wait months before concluding their case. Such criticism has also been directed towards men’s world No.1 Jannik Sinner who tested positive for low levels of a metabolite of clostebol during Indian Wells but was cleared of wrongdoing by the ITIA. That decision has prompted an appeal from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

“Certainly, the fact that I have such a position helped me gather people around me who, as soon as I learned about the situation, went to great lengths to help me,” Swiatek said during an interview with TVN24

“A few hours after I found out, we all met and brainstormed. I hired a lawyer from the United States who specializes in such matters. The fact that I have already earned a lot of money and can afford to spend it on my defense, without a second thought, definitely helped. 

“I know that many athletes don’t have such opportunities, and I think that’s something that might hold them back,because I actually paid for the entire process.”

Speaking about her costs, Swiatek says she spent an estimated $100,000 to clear her name. Whilst this is a substantial amount, it is only a tiny fraction of the prize money earnings she has won this season which comes to $8,550,693. 

“I spent about 70,000 dollars on a lawyer, and 15,000 euros on expert opinions and tests,” she commented. 

“On top of that, there was the loss of the prize money from Cincinnati, but, honestly, that didn’t matter to me. The most important thing was to prove my innocence. I’m sharing these amounts so people can realize the kind of problems athletes face, especially those who don’t earn as much money as I do on the court and compete in sports where earnings are much lower.” 

As for the allegations of receiving preferential treatment from authorities in her case, Swiatek says the focus should be on those who made the decision and not her. Last month Simona Halep questioned the “big difference” in how doping cases are handled. The Romanian tested positive for roxadustat and was provisionally suspended in October 2022. She was banned for four years in 2023 after being found guilty of two intentional breaches of anti-doping rules before getting that sentence reduced to nine months following a successful appeal to CAS. It was concluded that ‘on the balance of probabilities’ she had not taken Roxadustat purposely and while she “did bear some level of fault or negligence for her violations” it was not intentional.

“I know that people automatically need to compare such situations to others that have happened before, but the truth is that each of these cases is completely different. And the process of proving innocence will also vary accordingly,” said Swiatek. 

“It’s hard to compare me to Sinner, Halep, or Kamil Majchrzak because each of us is dealing with a different issue. I think that’s more of a question for ITIA than for the player. My fate, just like others’, was in their hands, and they decidehow each case unfolds. I trust that this process is objective, that everything is done according to the rules, and that no one judges a player either way based on their ranking. But whether that is actually the case, I think that’s the question for ITIA.”

Swiatek is scheduled to begin her 2025 season at the United Cup in Australia. 

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