Five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek accepted a one-month suspension after testing positive for a prohibited substance, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced on Thursday.

The banned substance was detected in a sample collected from Swiatek on August 12, ahead of the Cincinnati tournament. The out-of-competition test showed trace amounts of trimetazidine (TMZ).

Iga Swiatek of Poland hits a return during the women's singles third round match against Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan at Wimbledon tennis Championship in London, Britain on July 6, 2024. (Xinhua/Han Yan)

The Polish world No. 2 was provisionally banned from September 12, missing the tournaments in Seoul, Beijing, and Wuhan, although she did not disclose the actual reason at the time.

The ITIA said it 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 decided that the violation was not intentional.

Consequently, Swiatek was given a one-month suspension, and she formally admitted to the Anti-Doping Rule Violation and accepted the sanction on November 27. Provisionally suspended from September 12 to October 4, Swiatek has eight days of her suspension remaining. Additionally, she will forfeit her prize money from the Cincinnati Open.

The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) voiced support for the ITIA's decision on Thursday and stressed the importance of athletes ensuring the safety of their medications to uphold the principles of clean sport. 

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