Iga Swiatek recalls the time she took off for ‘personal reasons’ while serving doping suspension at the back end of 2024
Iga Swiatek was suspended for one month by the tennis authorities after testing positive for trimetazidine (TMZ).
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Iga Swiatek (Image via X)
Before the Australian Open, Polish tennis player Iga Swiatek spoke about her recent suspension. She tested positive for trimetazidine, a banned substance, in August. The positive test came before the Cincinnati Open, where she was the World No. 1 at the time. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) imposed a provisional ban.
The test, conducted on August 10, showed low levels of trimetazidine, a heart medication also known as TMZ. This happened ten days after Swiatek lost to Aryna Sabalenka in the Cincinnati Open semifinals. She later played in the US Open, losing to Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals. On September 12, Swiatek was informed of her one-month suspension.
Honestly, for first two or three weeks I just was focused on myself because I wasn’t in a good place. I had trouble just being on court. I thought that tennis did this to me a little bit. I focused on myself and I didn’t really go on the Internet, didn’t really read stuff because the priority was me and my kind of well-being. After, yeah, it got pretty awkward. Like we chose for the first tournament to say ‘personal reasons’ because we honestly thought the suspension is going to be lifted soon.
Iga Swiatek said on Australian Open pre-tournament press conference
During the suspension, Swiatek missed the Korea Open, China Open, and Wuhan Open. She also gave up her Cincinnati Open prize money. The ITIA later confirmed that the positive test was caused by contaminated melatonin, which Swiatek used for sleep and jet lag. She had provided a list of 14 medications and supplements she was taking.
From the beginning it was be obvious that something was contaminated because the level of this substance in my urine was so low that it had to be contamination, you know? Yeah, I mean, since we didn’t know what’s going to happen because we had no control over ITIA’s decision, we also couldn’t make any, like, logical plan. We started, yeah, with ‘personal issues’ because I needed also time to figure everything out.
Iga Swiatek added
Swiatek returned to play in the WTA Finals and Billie Jean King Cup last month after serving a 22-day suspension. Her ban officially ended on December 4.
Iga Swiatek on why she and her team chose to say she was taking time off for ‘personal issues’ when she was serving her suspension
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 10, 2025
“Did you want to tell people what was actually going on?”
Iga: “Honestly, for first two or three weeks I
just was focused on myself because I… pic.twitter.com/VkCnQkVERw
Iga Swiatek in a three-horse race for World No.1 ranking
Aryna Sabalenka, the World No.1, aims to hold on to her top spot in the PIF WTA Rankings at the Australian Open. She faces challenges from World No.2 Iga Swiatek and No.3 Coco Gauff. Sabalenka, the defending champion, must defend 2,000 points. Gauff, last year’s semifinalist, is defending 780 points, while Swiatek, who exited in the third round last year, is defending only 130 points.
Sabalenka must reach at least the quarterfinals to stay No.1. However, this depends on Swiatek’s progress. If Swiatek makes it to the third round, Sabalenka will need to reach the semifinals. If Swiatek advances to the semifinals, Sabalenka must reach the final. A final showdown between the two would see the winner claim the No.1 ranking.
Swiatek has the chance to reclaim the top spot early in the tournament. She is defending far fewer points compared to Sabalenka. If Sabalenka and Gauff exit early, Swiatek could rise to No.1 again, even without a deep run.
Gauff is chasing her first-ever World No.1 ranking. To achieve it, she must win the Australian Open. Additionally, Sabalenka must lose before the semifinals, and Swiatek cannot progress beyond the third round.
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Fahad Hamid
(710 Articles Published)