By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Current world no. 2 female tennis player Iga Swiatek received a one-month suspension from playing any professional games after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine confirmed on November 28, 2024.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) that announced the major shocker, but it stated that the level of fault was considered to be at the lowest end of the range.
Trimetadizine, popularly known as (TMZ), is a medication used to treat heart-related conditions and is under the list of banned substances in professional tennis.
It was during an out-of-competition drug testing last August that the samples tested positive. Swiatek accepted her fate and will not counter the ITIA or file any complaint.
The ITIA considered the factor of contamination for the short period of suspension slap, emphasizing that it was caused by a non-prescription melatonin medication that Swiatek used to take to combat jet lags and sleep issues.
They added that it was not intentional but the timeline of Swiatek’s return is yet to be determined due to some pending violations when she missed her past three Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) tournaments.
“It was a blow for me, I was shocked and this whole situation made me very anxious. At first I couldn’t understand how that was even possible and where it came from,” said Swiatek during a social media video post.
According to Swiatek’s statements, as soon as the ITIA gave her the positive result, she immediately cooperated with the organization and underwent several tests to double-check.
“The whole thing will definitely stay with me for the rest of my life, it took a lot of strength, returning to training after this situation nearly broke my heart. So there were many tears and lots of sleepless nights. The worst part of it was the uncertainty,” Swiatek added.
