3 times women’s tennis stars faced suspension due to drug use ft. Iga Swiatek, Maria Sharapova
A look at the three times top women's tennis players were suspended after testing positive for a banned substance.
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Iga Swiatek and Maria Sharapova (Sky Sports/X)
Tennis governing bodies have always pushed for a clean sport. Players who have resorted to unfair means to keep up with the demanding physicality have often been slammed with punishments. In recent decades, some players broke the rules but they always plead that it was either unintentional or otherwise.
The controversies arising from this very doping saga have become alarming and have painted a bad image of tennis. One of the biggest doping scandals was Martin Hingis, who was one of the WTA players in the early 2000s. She was handed a two-year ban after having benzoylecgonine in her system in 2007.
However, here we take a look at the top three times women’s tennis stars were served a doping suspension after testing positive for a banned substance.
3) Simona Halep
In 2022, Simona Halep returned to the court winning tournaments after an injury-ridden 2021 season. She reached the semifinals of Wimbledon and followed it up with a Canadian Open victory. However, she shockingly suffered a first-round exit from the US Open.
Halep revealed that the loss dampened her spirit, but in October, the truth came to light. The former World No. 1 was reported to have tested positive for roxadustat, a banned substance, while at the US Open.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) slammed her with a four-year suspension. Despite the harsh ban, she maintained her innocence and vowed to appeal the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS).
The 33-year-old defended her case to CAS, stressing that she tested positive due to contamination which the body agreed with her. Her ban was reduced to nine months which she had already served. She was back on the court at the Miami Open in March 2024.
2) Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova gained fame after becoming a serious challenger to Serena Williams. The Russian beat the American star in the final of 2004 Wimbledon to stun the tennis world and lifted her first Grand Slam.
Over the next decade, she grew on the court, becoming World No. 1 and winning a Career Slam. However, In 2016, things began to go awkward for the Russian star, and while many speculated she was on the verge of retirement, she admitted that she tested positive for meldonium.
Sharapova revealed that she used the banned substance because of her heart condition, and it was prescribed by her doctor. The case turned ugly because meldonium wasn’t a banned substance until January 2016, a few days before she took the drug.
However, the ITIA handed her a two-year ban, and though it was later reduced to 15 months, she lost a lot of sponsors because of the damaging reputation. She returned to the court in April 2017, but things weren’t the same as she attained modest success.
1) Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek is the latest to join the infamous club. The ITIA announced on Thursday (November 28) that the former World No.1 was handed a one-month suspension after testing positive for Trimetazidine (TMZ).
In a video on Instagram, the Polish star revealed she took melatonin, a medicine used to help with jet lag and sleep, but it was also contaminated with TMZ. The ITIA ruled that she bore no significant fault or negligence and will not be handed any further ban.
In fact, her one-month-long provisional suspension was the reason she skipped the entirety of the Asian swing in September and October. But it was lifted, so she would play at the WTA Finals and Billie Jean King Cup. The suspension is expected to end on December 4.
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Victor Okechukwu
(688 Articles Published)