Iga Swiatek's Doping Case Will Not Be Appealed by WADA

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) will not appeal Iga Swiatek's doping ban.

January 18, 2025: 2nd seed Iga Swiatek of Poland celebrates after defeating Emma Raducanu of Great Britain in the 2025 Australian Open. / IMAGO / Newscom World

Iga Swiatek can officially put the worst chapter of her career behind her now. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) issued a lengthy statement explaining that it will not appeal Swiatek's doping base.

The statement read, "The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) confirms that following a thorough review, it will not lodge an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in the case of Polish tennis player, Iga Swiatek, who tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ), a prohibited substance, in August 2024."

WADA explained that it had conducted a full review of the case file related to the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) decision, which it received on November 29 (one day after the ruling).

The world sport's anti-doping body said, "WADA's scientific experts have confirmed that the specific contaminated melatonin scenario, as presented by the athlete and accepted by the ITIA, is plausible and that there would be no scientific grounds to challenge it at CAS.

Further, WADA sought advice from external legal counsel, who considered that the athlete's contamination explanation was well evidenced, that the ITIA decision was compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code, and that there was no reasonable basis to appeal it to the CAS."

This saga all began when Swiatek tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine (TMZ) in August at the Cincinnati Open. Swiatek and her team quietly handled the matter behind the scenes for months (much to the chagrin of some players, fans, and media who wanted transparency).

After three months, the ITIA subsequently announced a one-month suspension in November after ruling that the player's level of fault was at the lowest end of the range for 'No Significant Fault or Negligence' and not intentional.

Swiatek was asked about the WADA's decision during her media availability at the Australian Open. The five-time Grand Slam champion said, "I am just satisfied that I can get closure, just move on and finish this whole process because I just want to play tennis and focus on the tournament."

Swiatek served 22 days of the backdated ban from September to October and the remainder between November and December before returning to play.

WADA had until January 21 to lodge an appeal of its own but confirmed on Monday it has chosen against doing so.

Swiatek just picked up a win over Germany's Eva Lys and will face Emma Navarro of the United States in the quarterfinals on January 21. She is currently the WTA World No. 2. Tennis fans can follow Sports Illustrated's Serve on SI for all the most important news from the sport.

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