Why was Swiatek sanctioned for doping and Sinner was not?

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The tennis world received another bombshell today, the repercussions of which will resonate for quite some time. Iga Swiatek accepted a one-month suspension after testing positive for a banned substance, trimetazidine, in a urine test on August 12th. Many immediately questioned why she was sanctioned while Jannik Sinner was not. Everything has an explanation.

The ITIA sanctioned Swiatek because the substance entered her body through the intake of a medication. The Polish player was able to prove that trimetazidine was present in a medication she takes for sleep and jet lag, in the form of melatonin. She argued that she used it regularly and that the batch she took at that moment was contaminated with this substance. This is significant since if it had been a supplement instead of a medication, the situation would have been completely different, and the sanction would have been more severe. The fact that melatonin is considered a medication in Europe saved her from a harsher penalty.

Why a one-month suspension?

Swiatek was informed of the positive result on September 12th. She denied intentionally taking anything to gain a sporting advantage and requested a new analysis of her sample. She was provisionally suspended in the meantime. On September 19th, she was informed of another positive result, and on the 22nd, she appealed requesting the provisional suspension to be lifted. The ITIA denied it as she could not provide evidence of how the substance entered her body.

Meanwhile, Swiatek and her legal team worked to determine the source of the trimetazidine. Days later, they discovered traces of this substance in her melatonin pills. They realized that the batch was contaminated and presented this evidence to the ITIA, which, after verifying it, lifted Swiatek's suspension on October 4th. Throughout those 22 days, Iga was under suspension.

Following the case resolution, the ITIA acknowledged a degree of negligence from the Warsaw player, as she obtained those pills from a source that was not 100% reliable. Her physical trainer bought it from a manufacturer not listed as trustworthy, hence the one-month suspension. The ITIA found it "very rare" for a generic medication to be contaminated with such a substance, although possible, but after verifying the evidence and confirming the contamination of melatonin with trimetazidine, they imposed the suspension believing that she bears some responsibility for not ensuring the source of her medication.

Lastly, it is worth noting that as Iga had already been suspended for 22 days, she will only have to serve an additional 8 days of suspension, which she will do in December, a period without competition.

Why not Sinner?

These are two completely different cases that cannot be compared despite both resulting in a positive doping test. The fact that hers was from a medication, not a supplement, saved her. While we can question why her case was resolved so quickly while other players are suspended for many months, the situation with Sinner's case is not treated the same as others. The influence of a number 1 player like Swiatek has led to a very swift resolution, prompting other players to speak up about the lack of equality in treatment. This is undoubtedly another issue.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, ¿Por qué Swiatek sí ha sido sancionada por dopaje y Sinner no?