The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced Thursday that two high-profile tennis players, Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner, faced positive doping tests earlier this year, The Associated Press reports.
While both cases involved unintentional contamination, the resulting penalties differed significantly.
Swiatek, the 23-year-old Polish star and former world No. 1, received a one-month suspension after testing positive for low levels of trimetazidine (TMZ), a banned heart medication. The ITIA determined the contamination stemmed from a sleep aid, melatonin, purchased by Swiatek’s psychologist from a Polish pharmacy where melatonin is sold as a medicine. The TMZ was found to be a contaminant in the melatonin. Swiatek, who listed 14 other medications and supplements she was using but omitted the melatonin, was deemed to bear a low level of responsibility for the positive test.
“These are not cases of intentional doping,” ITIA CEO Karen Moorhouse stated in a press call. “In Swiatek’s case, it’s a very low end, no significant fault or negligence.”
The suspension, which began in September, was largely served during Swiatek’s self-imposed break from the game following the US Open. She was cleared to compete in the WTA Finals and Billie Jean King Cup.
Jannik Sinner, the current world No. 1 men’s player, tested positive twice for a banned anabolic steroid in March. However, he was fully exonerated after providing a convincing explanation that attributed the positive test to a cream used by his trainer. While the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has appealed this decision, Sinner faced no competitive sanction.
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