Tennis News: Iga Swiatek suspension seems unfair in light of Jannik Sinner situation

According to the International Tennis Integrity Agency, neither Jannik Sinner nor Iga Swiatek did anything intentionally wrong. That part is important as both players failed drug tests in 2024, though one received a harsher punishment than the other. The issue with the way tennis handles failed drug tests is that the sport is inconsistent in terms of how the punishment is handled.

That causes the integrity of tennis to rightfully be called into question. Why suspend one player for however long and another player for next to nothing while the determination of fault is the same? Eventually, and maybe quite soon, the sport is going to be losing fans because no one can truly trust the decision-making of those in charge.

The situation is this. Sinner failed two drug tests in March at Indian Wells as he tested positive for Clostebol. That is an anabolic steroid that helps increase muscle mass. After a rather quick review by the ITIA, Sinner was let off with having to give the money back he had won at Indian Wells and any rankings points gained. He was not forced to miss any other tournaments.

Iga Swiatek suspended for longer than Jannik Sinner was for the same thing

Switak was also found by the ITIA to not have done anything knowingly wrong. She tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine in August while at the Cincinnati Open. She was provisionally suspended and missed three tournaments between September 22 and October 4. Two of the events were Masters 1000s, and this caused her ranking to drop from No. 1 to No. 2. Aryna Sabalenka finished as the year-end No. 1 in part due to Swiatek's suspension.

Had Swiatek been treated the same as Sinner, she would have not had to do anything but give up any prize money from the Cincinnati Open and the rankings points gained there. The ITIA's decisions about Swiatek compared to Sinner not only seem unfair to the Pole, but they also seem sexist. Moreover, other players, such as Simona Halep, have been suspended for years initially only to prove their innocence later.

Halep tested positive for a banned substance from some collagen her coach had given her. She was eventually found to not have done anything intentionally wrong, but the damage was done. She was an older player and missed a lot of time. Her career, at least her hopes of reaching the top ten ever again, seems finished.

Whatever the inconsistency with the ITIA's decision-making is, it needs to be fixed. It is hurting players and the sport. Swiatek's suspension will be over by January so it will not affect her 2025 season, but her 2024 year might have been unfairly diminished by what the ITIA did.

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