Five-time grand slam winner suspended after dope test

Polish tennis star Iga Świątek has accepted a one-month suspension after testing positive for a banned substance, CNN reports citing the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).

Świątek, a five-time grand slam winner, tested positive for the prohibited substance trimetazidine.

The ITIA said they found Świątek's "level of fault was considered to be at the lowest end of the range for 'No Significant Fault or Negligence.'"

"The ITIA accepted that the positive test was caused by the contamination of a regulated non-prescription medication (melatonin), manufactured and sold in Poland that the player had been taking for jet lag and sleep issues, and that the violation was therefore not intentional," the ITIA said in Thursday's statement.

The ITIA offered Świątek a suspension on November 27, which she accepted. "The player was provisionally suspended from 22 September until 4 October, missing three tournaments, which counts towards the sanction, leaving eight days remaining.

"In addition, the player also forfeits prize money from the Cincinnati Open, the tournament directly following the test," the ITIA added.

The No. 2 ranked women's tennis player said she was shocked by the positive test.

"It was a blow for me, I was shocked and this whole situation made me very anxious. At first, I couldn't understand how that was even possible and where it came from," Świątek said in a video posted to social media Thursday.

Świątek has won four French Open titles in her career so far, as well as winning the US Open in 2022.