Iga Swiatek has described her one-month drug ban as “fair” and believes there is no reason for the World Anti-Doping Agency to appeal the sanction handed down by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).
The Polish world No.2 spoke in Sydney on Friday for the first time since news broke in November that she had tested positive to trimetazidine (TMZ) in August. She said the backlash had been less harsh than she had expected.
“I think the response has been more positive than I thought. I think people are, most of them, understanding and the ones who read the documents and are aware of how the system works, they know that I had no fault and I had no influence on what was going on,” Swiatek said.
The ITIA issued the ban after ruling Swiatek’s level of fault was at the lowest end of the range, attributing “no significant fault or negligence” to the 23-year-old – effectively ruling the offence was unintentional.
The drug was found in a contaminated melatonin supplement Swiatek had been taking to treat jet lag. The test was taken in an out-of-competition sample on August 12.
Shortly after, the former world No. 1 issued a statement revealing the positive test on social media.
World No. 2 Iga Swiatek.Credit: Edwina Pickles
Swiatek, in Sydney to play with for Poland in the United Cup, said the last two months had been trying.
“I tried to just go on with my life and focus on different things. Focus on preparing for the season and on tennis because this is the best thing you can do after a case like that. But overall the reaction in Poland, basically because this is mostly what I read, has been pretty supportive, and I really appreciate that,” she said.
“Because, even when I missed the China swing and nobody knew why, it wasn’t so easy, so after the information about my case was released, I was scared that most people are going to turn their back on me, but I felt the support and it’s great.
“Obviously, there are going to be some negative comments, and you’re not going to avoid that, that’s something that’s [going to happen] no matter what happens in our lives..”
Jannik Sinner tested positive to a banned substance earlier in the year.Credit: Getty Images
Australian Nick Kyrgios was particularly vocal about Swiatek’s case, declaring the sport is “cooked” in a post on social media platform X. He later posted saying: “The excuse that we can all use is that we didn’t know. Simply didn’t know. Professionals at the highest level of sport can now just say ‘we didn’t know’.”
Swiatek was the second high-profile tennis player to test positive for a banned substance in 2024 after Italy’s Jannik Sinner twice tested positive for an anabolic steroid. Australian Max Purcell has since admitted to using a prohibited method, after he received an intravenous infusion of vitamins that breached the sport’s regulation.
Sinner was initially cleared of wrongdoing by the ITIA, but the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is appealing Sinner’s “no fault or negligence” ruling to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, seeking a ban of up to two years.
Swiatek said she wasn’t worried about a potential appeal from WADA.
“Well, I don’t think there is any reason [for an appeal] because I didn’t play three tournaments, literally I was suspended for a month’s time and I lost No.1 because of that,” Swiatek said.
“I also know how the procedure worked, and I gave every possible evidence, and there’s not much honestly to do more. So, there’s no point to do an appeal … I’m not expecting an appeal, but I have kind of no influence on what’s going to happen.
“But I can say from the process that I went through, and how they treated me from the beginning, that it seems fair for me.
“I managed to give the source pretty quickly, that’s why the case closed pretty quickly, but still, I didn’t play tournaments and I got a fine, small one, symbolic one, but it’s over now. So, I guess in my opinion, was a fair process, and I trust ITIA that any case they do they’re going to treat every player the same way and fairly.”
