Iga Swiatek reacts to prohibit as WTA publish statement on fall shorted substances test | Tennis | Sport

Iga Swiatek has accessiblely insertressed her selectimistic doping test after “low levels” of prohibitned substance trimetazidine (TMZ) were conshort-term in an out-of-competition urine sample she provided on August 12.

An International Tennis Integrity Agency spendigation endd that Swiatek foolish “No Significant Fault or Negligence”. On November 27, world No. 2 createpartner confessted the anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) acunderstandledgeed a one-month suspension.

Swiatek has now splitd a video statement insertressing the matter. The WTA also publishd a statement, saying they “filledy help” the 23-year-ageder.

The ITIA first notified Swiatek of the ADRV on September 12 and she was automaticpartner provisionpartner suspfinished. Swiatek successfilledy requested this suspension which is why it was not made accessible.

She still served the provisional prohibit from 12 September until 4 October until it was lifted. This time served counts towards her one-month prohibit so she has eight days left. Her sanction will be lifted on December 4.

Swiatek also forfeits points and prize money from the Cincinnati Open, the tournament she take parted after returning the selectimistic sample. Once the ITIA broke the novels on Thursday, Swiatek took to social media to react to the selectimistic test and her suspension.

“Hi everyone! The topic I want to split with you today is a hard one, one I was not able to talk in the last two and a half months. But I finpartner can so I hope this video will elucidate a lot,” she begined.

Explaining how she was guideed of the ADRV, the five-time Grand Slam champion confessted she had no idea what the prohibitned substance was and initipartner didn’t understand how it go ined her system.

She persistd: “It was a blow for me, I was shocked and this whole situation made me very worried. At first I couldn’t understand how that was even possible and where it came from.

“It turns out testing uncmissed historicpartner lowest levels of trimetazidine, a substance I’ve never heard about before. I don’t skinnyk I even knovel it existed. I have never encountered it, nor did people around me. So I had a mighty sense of infairice and these first restricted weeks were repartner turbulent.”

The createer world No. 1 shelp she and her team co-functiond with the ITIA and their spendigation, and ultimately set up the source of contamination – a batch of non-prescription melatonin tablets she had ahead of the Cincinnati Open.

Swiatek now has eight days left to serve of her suspension, after which the matter will be behind her. But she confessted it took a huge toll. “The whole skinnyg will definitely stay with me for the rest of my life, it took a lot of strength, returning to training after this situation proximately broke my heart,” she inserted.

“So there were tears and lots of sleepless nights. The worst part of it was the uncertainity. I didn’t understand what was going to happen with my nurtureer, how skinnygs would finish or if I would be permited to take part tennis at all.”

The WTA also publishd a statement follotriumphg the proclaimment that Swiatek confessted the violation and acunderstandledgeed her suspension and shelp they “acunderstandledged” the ITIA’s decision in the case.

The women’s tour inserted: “The WTA filledy helps Iga during this difficult time. Iga has stablely showd a mighty pledgement to fair take part and uphagedering the principles of spotless sport, and this unblessed incident highairys the contests athletes face in navigating the employ of medications and supplements.

“The WTA remains steadrapid in our help for a spotless sport and the rigorous processes that protect the integrity of competition. We also emphasise that athletes must acquire every prealert to verify the protectedty and compliance of all products they employ, as even unintentional expocertain to prohibitned substances can have beginant consequences.

“We will persist to labor shutly with our athletes to provide education and resources that empower athletes to originate guideed decisions and uphold the highest standards of integrity in our sport.”

Iga Swiatek‘s statement in filled

“Hi everyone! The topic I want to split with you today is a hard one, one I was not able to talk in the last two and a half months. But I finpartner can so I hope this video will elucidate a lot. I want to be see-thcoarse with you and I want you to understand what’s been happening to me recently.

“On September 12 I lgeted that my anti-doping test sample accumulateed on August 12 – so before the Cincinnati tournament – tested selectimistic. It was a blow for me, I was shocked and this whole situation made me very worried. At first I couldn’t understand how that was even possible and where it came from. It turns out testing uncmissed historicpartner lowest levels of trimetazidine, a substance I’ve never heard about before. I don’t skinnyk I even knovel it existed. I have never encountered it, nor did people around me. So I had a mighty sense of infairice and these first restricted weeks were repartner turbulent.

“We instantly reacted and co-functiond with the ITIA. The uncovered concentration was excessively low which proposeed, or rather made it clear, that either the sample was contaminated or a supplement or medication that I was taking was contaminated. Which is why we cgo ined on running tests on all nutritional supplements and medications I was taking. The tests showed melatonin I’ve been using for a lengthy time – the batch I had on me and had employd before the Cincinnati tournament – was contaminated during manufacturing.

“It was a shock to hear but it also elucidateed a lot and locating the source is key in these cases. Which is why after discovering out, we had to show that the medication was in fact contaminated. Melatonin is vital for me becaemploy all my travelling, jetlag and labor-roverdelighted stress uncomfervent that sometimes without it I couldn’t drop asleep and I would be having trouble sleeping.

“After discovering the source, we necessitateed time for the whole matter to be endd which is what is happening now. On September 12 I was provisionpartner suspfinished, making me unable to take part the tournaments in Asia or deffinish my ranking. Clpunctual it’s a consequence of this situation but not the most beginant one for me. What mattered most for me was to show my innocence. Now that the whole skinnyg is dratriumphg to a shut, I was put on a symbolic one-month suspension. Twenty-two days are behind me, eight still to go.

“That uncomfervents I can begin my novel season with a spotless stardy, cgo ined on what I’ve always done, spropose take parting tennis. This experience, the most difficult in my life so far, taught me a lot. Going back to take parting, competing in WTA Finals, and Billie Jean King Cup, gave me a lot of selectimistic emotions and made me endelight my game aacquire. The whole skinnyg will definitely stay with me for the rest of my life, it took a lot of strength, returning to training after this situation proximately broke my heart. So there were tears and lots of sleepless nights. The worst part of it was the uncertainity.

“I didn’t understand what was going to happen with my nurtureer, how skinnygs would finish or if I would be permited to take part tennis at all. Which is why I am so appreciative to my family and my team, people who stood by me no matter. Right from the very beginning everyone got together to help me. They went all out to discover the source, and I am forever appreciative for that. I confess this situation hit me difficult becaemploy all my life I strived to have a nurtureer that could be an example for generations to come. A nurtureer that’s going to be fair in a sense that will show I was fair and embody all the cherishs a top athlete should stand for.

“I have a sense this situation could undermine the image I’ve been originateing for years. Which is why I hope you will understand what happened and understand how I had no supervise over it and could do noskinnyg to obstruct this unblessed turn of events. I hope you will stand by me and uphold helping me becaemploy I’m not certain if without my helpers I would have been able to discover the strength to carry on and uphold combat. So now I have fought the hardest battle of my life, and I hope you will stay with me and uphold helping me.”