Tennis stars outraged

Doping trouble: “An excuse that everyone can use!”

Another doping case and the handling of the case are shaking the tennis world.

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

The procedure for the one-month doping ban for Polish world number two Iga Swiatek is reminiscent of the Jannik Sinner doping case and has provoked criticism in the tennis scene. "The excuse we can all use is that we didn't know", wrote Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios on the X platform: "Professional athletes at the highest level can now simply say: "We didn't know".

Two-time Grand Slam tournament winner Simona Halep, who was initially banned for four years by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) due to a positive doping test and irregularities in her athlete's passport, also reacted with incomprehension. "I stand here and ask myself: why is there such a big difference in treatment and judgment?" the Romanian wrote on Instagram. She suspects "bad faith" on the part of the ITIA. Halep's ban had been reduced to nine months by the International Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

According to the ITIA, Swiatek tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine on August 12. The 23-year-old said that she had taken a non-prescription medication to combat the effects of jet lag. The contamination of this medication led to the positive test result. The investigators classified the Polish woman's statements as credible and did not consider it to be a serious case. After the trial, her innocence was confirmed, said the five-time Grand Slam tournament winner in an Instagram video.

However, just as with world number one Sinner, who tested positive twice for the anabolic steroid Clostebol in March but was cleared by the ITIA, the public was not immediately informed. According to the ITIA, no intentional fault could be proven against Sinner. It was only now, after the investigation had been completed, that the commission of inquiry made the incidents involving Sinner and Swiatek public.

ITIA managing director defends approach
The ITIA defended itself against the accusations. "No two cases are the same, the circumstances are often very different and direct comparisons are not always helpful," the agency stated. Swiatek was a regulated drug and not a dietary supplement like Halep's. Why it took Halep from the provisional suspension in October 2022 to September 2023, when she was initially banned for four years, had certainly caused head-scratching in the tennis scene. The Halep case was on everyone's lips the whole time, Sinner and Swiatek have only had to face public scrutiny since the decision was made.

The case has similarities with the doping affair surrounding Jannik Sinner.

(Bild: AFP/APA/Marco BERTORELLO)

ITIA Managing Director Karen Moorhouse commented on the Sinner/Swiatek case: "These are not cases of deliberate doping. We are dealing with unintentional breaches of the rules. So I don't think this is a cause for concern for tennis fans."