A timeline of Iga Swiatek’s surprising doping suspension

Where to start!? First, trimetazidine is a medication primarily used for heart conditions and is the center of the 2022 Olympic figure skating scandal revolving Kamila Valieva. It’s known as a “metabolic modulator,” similar to meldonium, the drug that Maria Sharapova served a 15-month ban for in 2015 — as it makes your heart work more efficiently without producing stress or extra work on your heart rate or blood pressure.

The positive test came in Cincinnati, right before the U.S. Open and Swiatek was given a provisional suspension on September 12. A provisional suspension requires an athlete to sit out while the case gets heard and a judgement is ruled. What’s key here is that it wasn’t publicly announced and she proceeded to withdraw from Seoul, Wuhan and Beijing due to personal matters and singling out her split from longtime coach Tomasz Wiktorowski.

Right away, the Pole asked for her “B” sample to be tested, which confirmed the positive result. On September 22 — the end of her 10-day window — she formally appealed her suspension. Three days later, the International Tennis Integrity Association denied her appeal, stating that there wasn’t enough evidence to overturn.

September 26 is where the tide turns — Swiatek and her team submitted evidence that through their research, were able to determine that the trimetazidine was from a contaminated Polish melatonin medication she used to combat jet lag. The ITIA was sent the opened container, as well as a sealed version of the supplement.

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On October 4, their Utah-based lab was able to confirm that trimetazidine appeared in both versions and the amount found was consistent with the concentration found in Swiatek’s urine sample. That evening, Swiatek was informed that her provisional suspension was lifted but they would finalize their investigation. The Olympic bronze medalist then participated in both the WTA Finals Riyadh and Billie Jean King Cup Finals to complete her 2024 campaign.

On Thursday, the ITIA formally ruled the one-month ban, but included the three weeks served in October — therefore it ends on December 4 at midnight. Of course, we’re in the offseason, so it’s more of a formality than anything but she did miss three tournaments — tournaments she had a lot of points to defend and ultimately lost her No. 1 ranking as a result.

The reason why she still had to serve time was because they found she had “No Significant Fault or Negligence.” In the doping form she filled out in Cincinnati, Swiatek didn’t list the Melatonin she took the night before. She stated that was because of two reasons — she was tired from said supplement and she carries a list of medications/supplements to write on her Doping Control Form and since she doesn’t take the Melatonin often, it wasn’t listed. As a result, she couldn’t be credited with “No Fault or Negligence,” but was given the lower end of the sentencing scale.

While I personally believe Swiatek’s account, especially since her test at the U.S. Open came back clean and the labs confirmed contamination, there still is a large discrepancy in how the ITIA handles these doping cases.

First, why are we finding this all out after-the-fact? Shouldn’t any type of provisional suspension be announced as soon as it’s ruled? As well as any updates (i.e. suspension lift, testing, etc.)? Second and perhaps more importantly, this is another example of why the ITIA gets a lot of heat since they’ve taken over tennis’ doping cases from the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Sure, each doping case is different and there can’t be a “one size fits all” approach, but Swiatek had countless resources to fight this super quick. She was able to get that provisional suspension appealed (and not have it be public) because she applied within that 10-day window, giving her more time to research and find the source and eventually get to come back with ease.

What about Tara Moore, who ate contaminated meat in Colombia and tested positive alongside another player and had to spend 19 months and over $200,000 fighting to get reinstated — oh and plot twist, the ITIA is looking into trying to overturn the ruling allowing her to play? Nikola Bartunkova, 2023 Wimbledon junior finalist, had to serve six months for trimetazidine but had been sitting out for seven already when the ruling came in. Simona Halep, who received a reduction from four years to nine months for a positive Roxadustat test, slammed the ITIA for the difference in the handling of her case versus Swiatek’s.

Another note is that Swiatek was also penalized the prize money and ranking points from Cincinnati, which is significant because the 390 points she won makes a difference. If the reduction was appropriately applied at the time, Aryna Sabalenka would have won the No. 1 ranking when she claimed the Wuhan title, giving her an extra week atop the rankings. Instead, she earned it during an off-week and due to both she and Swiatek not meeting the minimum WTA 1000 events played and receiving a small deduction in ranking points.

The WTA has never had to alter the No. 1 ranking due to a doping violation and according to Ben Rothenberg, they’re still figuring out how to guide. While I think they should edit the statistics to include that, I feel they won’t and will do what the ATP did when their No. 1 Jannik Sinner tested positive earlier this year at Indian Wells but wasn’t announced until August — nothing.

A big 2025 storyline will be the microscope of the ITIA and if any type of uniformization will unfold. You can read the ITIA’s entire report on Swiatek here.

Now, on to links!

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