Did She Dope?

News

Did she dope?

While many Americans were warming up for their turkey trots and praying for a moist bird, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) dropped big news on the tennis world: Iga Swiatek accepted a one month suspension for a positive drug test.

The news came just a few months after the world found out about Jannik Sinner’s doping case, raising fresh questions about fairness in our sport and how the ITIA handles these incidents.

Before I share my thoughts, let me get you up to speed.

Timeline of Iga’s Case 📅

August 12th — two days before the Cincinnati Open, she took some melatonin and had a required drug test the following morning.

September 12th — Swiatek’s Cincinnati test came back positive, and she immediately received a 1 month suspension.

During her suspension, an independent lab found that her melatonin was contaminated with the banned substance trimetazidine, which makes your heart work more efficiently.

October 4th — The ITIA lifted Swiatek’s ban, allowing her to play the Billie Jean King Cup and World Tour Finals, but said they’d continue to assess the case.

Nov 28th — Finally, the ITIA went public with the case and shared their final decision. While they determined that Swiatek was “at the lowest end of the range for no significant fault or negligence”, she still had to finish her 1 month ban. But since she already served time between Sept 12 - Oct. 4, she only had 7 more days left in her sentence.

The strange thing is, it’s the off season, so she’s not missing anything right now.

With the facts laid out, let’s jump into my take on the case and how it was carried out.

Did she intentionally dope? 💊

I highly doubt it. The independent lab's findings support Swiatek’s innocence, and I trust that.

Should she have been banned at all? 🚧

Yes. While it seems clear that this was an unfortunate accident, that doesn’t automatically relieve Swiatek of any consequences.

That being said, the whole process of banning her, lifting the ban, and then finally reinstating it during the off-season just seems amateur.

I think the ITIA should take more of an innocent until proven guilty approach. Players should be allowed to continue playing until there’s a final verdict. And if they’re banned, have them serve the time all in one go.

What else did the ITIA get wrong? 🧐

It’s strange that the news broke 3 months after her positive test, and after she had already served most of her ban.

But this isn’t new for the ITIA. Sinner tested positive in March, played all season while his case was under review, and then the news broke in August.

As a fan, I’d much rather hear that a player has allegedly doped soon after it’s known, is going through the judicial process, and have that process clearly laid out publicly. Hearing about a case only after it's been resolved feels like being told, 'Oh, your kid fell at recess, got stitches, and is fine now.' It raises more questions than it answers.

Parting Thoughts 👋🏼

For me, going back and forth on the ban and the late communication timeline raises serious concerns about fairness and transparency at the ITIA. Ironic given it has “integrity” in its name. 

Fans and players deserve clarity and consistency. So until the ITIA addresses its bush-league processes, trust in its decisions—and in the sport—will remain fragile.

Trivia

The Cocaine Kisser 💋

Speaking of failed drug tests, this player tested positive for cocaine in 2009, and famously cited that they were exposed to the drug after kissing someone at a Miami nightclub. Who was this player?

A. Richard Gasquet

B. Martina Hingis

C. Marin Cilic

D. Maria Sharapova

Find out at the bottom!

Meet the Player

Katie Boulter

From: Great Britain 🇬🇧

Best Slam Result: 3rd Round

Career High Ranking: 23

Fun Facts: Supports Leicester City Football Club + is dating Alex de Minaur

Game Analysis: Boulter’s game is easy on the eyes. Her technique is impeccable, she plays attacking, but measured tennis, and can rip winners off of both sides. That said, she could be a more aggressive mover, and improve on turning defense into offense.

Career Prediction: The 28 year old Brit is still on the rise. I think she cracks the top 20 and makes a slam quarters at least once.

Shot of the Week

No Strings, No Problem

tennislegend

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Well hot damn. Mark Philippoussis should try out for the MLB after this one. Enjoy 😎

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Memes

Sick of watching pickleball on Tennis Channel already 🥱

Answer

A. Richard Gasquet

The Frenchman convinced the ITF that he inadvertently took cocaine by kissing a woman at a Miami nightclub, escaping what could have been 12+ month ban. He only served a 2.5 provisional ban.