Warsaw (Poland), Dec 7 : Five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek described her recent doping suspension as a "horror and nightmare" while emphasizing her determination to prove her innocence. Swiatek, 23, tested positive for trace amounts of Trimetazidine (TMZ) in an out-of-competition sample taken on August 12.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced on November 28 that the violation was unintentional, attributing the positive test to contamination in a regulated melatonin product she used for jet lag and sleep issues. Swiatek accepted a one-month suspension, retroactively served, allowing her to compete again by December 4, reports Xinhua.

"My reaction was very intense'confusion, panic, a lot of crying," Swiatek told Polish media. "It felt like something terrible had happened to my health or career."

The Pole revealed she spent significant resources -- $70,000 on legal fees and '15,000 on expert tests -- to clear her name. "The most important thing was to prove my innocence," she said. Swiatek expressed relief that the ordeal ended swiftly. "I can start the new season with a clean slate and focus on playing," she concluded.

The ITIA has accepted that the prohibited substance was because of a contaminated regulated medication, which results in a "No Significant Fault or Negligence finding", thus handing a one-month suspension.

"The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) today confirms that Iga Swiatek, a 23-year-old tennis player from Poland, has accepted a one-month suspension under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme, after testing positive for the prohibited substance trimetazidine (TMZ) in an out-of-competition sample in August 2024," the ITIA informed.

An investigation by ITIA has determined that the source for the presence of the banned substance was a "contaminated regulated medication". The ITIA probe said the test "results in no significant fault or negligence finding and thus handed a one-month suspension", the statement said.

/IANS