Five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek accepted a one-month suspension after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine, a heart medication known as TMZ, the International Tennis Integrity Agency announced Thursday. Swiatek, who slid from No. 1 to No. 2 last month, failed a drug test in August, the AP reports. The organization said it determined that Swiatek's tainted urine sample was because of a contaminated medicine she took and so she bore a low level of responsibility.
She's the second high-profile player to test positive for a banned substance this year, joining Jannik Sinner. Currently the No. 1-ranked man, Sinner was fully cleared. "These are not cases of intentional doping," agency CEO Karen Moorhouse told reporters in a video call. She said there was no fault or negligence involved in Sinner's case and "no significant fault or negligence" in Swiatek's. "So I don't think this is a cause for concern for tennis fans and the like," Moorhouse said, per the AP. Here's a look at the two cases:
- Swiatek's test: Swiatek's urine showed low amounts of trimetazidine, a banned heart medication commonly referred to as TMZ, in an out-of-competition test on Aug. 12, 10 days after her last match at the Summer Games. She was told she was being provisionally suspended on Sept. 12, eight days after losing to Jessica Pegula in the US Open quarterfinals. It was found that the TMZ had contaminated a sleep aid, melatonin, that Swiatek's psychologist bought for her at a pharmacy in Poland, where it is sold as a medicine. According to the ITIA report, Swiatek listed 14 medications or supplements she was using, though not melatonin.
- The substance: Trimetazidine, or TMZ, is a metabolic agent that can help prevent angina attacks if used as an "add-on treatment," according to the European Medicines Agency. It can increase blood flow efficiency and improve endurance—both crucial to high-end athletic performance. It is on the World Anti-Doping Agency's prohibited list in the category of "hormone and metabolic modulators."
- The penalty: Swiatek was given a provisional ban that began in September but was lifted because she quickly offered a believable explanation for the contamination—one that was backed up by tests, the ITIA said. She missed three tournaments during the Asian swing without giving the real reason for being sidelined. Eventually, the ITIA and Swiatek agreed she would serve a one-month suspension, credited for the time she already missed. Swiatek was able to play in the WTA Finals and the Billie Jean King Cup. "The worst part of it was the uncertainty," she said. "I didn't know what was going to happen with my career, how things would end or if I would be allowed to play tennis at all."
- Sinner's situation: He tested positive for a banned anabolic steroid twice in March, but nothing came to light until August, just before the US Open, which he won. Sinner's case also was kept quiet until resolved, also because he offered what ITIA found to be plausible explanation. Sinner blamed the result on a cream his trainer used before giving Sinner a massage and so was cleared completely—though WADA has appealed that ruling—and not suspended.
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