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       PARIS: World number two and French Open champion Iga Swiatek has accepted a one-month suspension after testing positive for banned substance trimetazidine (TMZ), the International Tennis Integrity Agency said on Thursday.

       Swiatek tested positive in an out-of-competition sample in August but the ITIA accepted that it was caused by contamination of her medication melatonin, which was manufactured and sold in Poland. Swiatek had been taking it for jet lag and sleep issues.

       As there was no significant fault or negligence, the ITIA offered her a one-month suspension which she accepted.

       “The player was provisionally suspended from Sept 22 until Oct 4, missing three tournaments, which counts towards the sanction, leaving eight days remaining,” the ITIA said in a statement.

       “In addition, the player also forfeits prize money from the Cincinnati Open, the tournament directly following the test.”

       Swiatek described the ordeal of testing positive as the “worst experience of my life”.

       “In the last 2.5 months I was subject to strict ITIA proceedings, which confirmed my innocence,” Swiatek said on Instagram.

       “The only positive doping test in my career, showing unbelievably low level of a banned substance I’ve never heard about before, put everything I’ve worked so hard for my entire life into question.

       “Both me and my team had to deal with tremendous stress and anxiety. Now everything has been carefully explained, and with a clean slate I can go back to what I love most.”

       Published in Dawn, November 29th, 2024