Iga Swiatek receives major update in doping case as WADA appeal decision revealed
Iga Swiatek will not face a further suspension over her failed doping test as the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has confirmed it will not appeal the initial ruling in the Polish star’s case.
WADA announced the decision shortly after Swiatek dismantled Eva Lys 6-0, 6-1 in the last of the 2025 Australian Open on Monday.
Swiatek tested positive for trimetazidine, a banned metabolic agent, on August 12 last year ahead of the Cincinnati Open.
A WADA statement said: “WADA has conducted a full review of the case file related to the ITIA decision, which it received on 29 November.
“WADA’s scientific experts have confirmed that the specific contaminated melatonin scenario, as presented by the athlete and accepted by the ITIA, is plausible and that there would be no scientific grounds to challenge it at CAS.
“Further, WADA sought advice from external legal counsel, who considered that the athlete’s contamination explanation was well evidenced, that the ITIA decision was compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code, and that there was no reasonable basis to appeal it to the CAS.”
On November 28, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced that Swiatek had received a one-month ban as it was deemed she carried “no significant fault or negligence” for the failed test.
The five-time Grand Slam champion had to forfeit the 390 ranking points and $159,000 she earned for reaching the semi-finals in Cincinnati.
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The ITIA accepted Swiatek’s explanation that the substance entered her body due to the contamination of non-prescription medication she had been using for jet lag and sleep issues.
Swiatek was provisionally suspended from September 12 to October 4, meaning she had already served 22 days of her ban on the day the news emerged. She was forced to miss WTA 1000 events in Beijing and Wuhan during the suspension period.
The world No 2 returned to action at the WTA Finals in Riyadh at the start of November before ending her 2024 season at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Malaga.
Swiatek will face world No 8 Emma Navarro in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open. The 23-year-old is seeking a maiden title at the Melbourne Grand Slam and her second hard-court major, having won the US Open in 2022.
