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Will Iga Swiatek play Australian Open 2025? Timeline, return date after doping ban | Sporting News

Will Iga Swiatek play Australian Open 2025? Timeline, return date after doping ban | Sporting News

Tennis star Iga Swiatek has received a suspension after testing positive for a banned substance.

The world No. 2 tested positive for heart medication trimetazidine (TMZ) in an out-of-competition sample in August 2024.

Here’s when she is set to return to the court.

MORE: Who is the world No.1 in women’s tennis? Updated WTA rankings

How long is Iga Swiatek’s doping suspension?

Swiatek has received a one-month suspension.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) accepted the player’s explanation that the positive test was a result of contamination of regulated non-prescription medication melatonin.

The medication was manufactured and sold in Poland and was taken by Swiatek for jet lag and sleep issues.

As a result, her level of fault was considered to be at the lowest end of the range for ‘No Significant Fault or Negligence’.

Swiatek was provisionally suspended after her US Open quarter-final loss, which saw her miss the Korea Open, China Open and Wuhan Open. 

Her suspension was not made public, with her absence attributed to personal matters and a coaching change.

Swiatek was provisionally suspended from September 12 before making a successful appeal. 

Her provisional suspension was lifted on October 4, and she returned to the court in November at the WTA Finals and Billie Jean King Cup finals.

She must now serve the eight remaining days of her suspension, which will last until December 4.

The Polish player is also required to forfeit her prize money from the Cincinnati Open, with the tournament played immediately after her test.

“In the last two-and-a-half months I was subject to strict ITIA proceedings, which confirmed my innocence,” Swiatek wrote 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.”

Will Iga Swiatek play Australian Open 2025? 

Swiatek is all but guaranteed to feature at the first grand slam tournament of 2025 – the Australian Open. 

With her suspension ending on December 4, she will have over three weeks before her next scheduled tournament, which is the United Cup in late December.

She will line up as part of the Polish team in Sydney.

Swiatek is then set to head to Melbourne for the Australian Open, which will begin on January 12.

The Warsaw-born talent’s best performance at the tournament is a semi-final finish in 2022.

Australian summer of tennis schedule 2025

Date Event Location
Dec. 27 – Jan. 5 United Cup Perth/Sydney
Dec. 29 – Jan. 5 Brisbane International Brisbane
Dec. 29 – Jan. 4 Canberra International Canberra
Jan. 6 – Jan. 11 Adelaide International  Adelaide
Jan. 6 – Jan. 11 Hobart International Hobart
Jan. 6 – Jan. 11 Australian Open qualifying Melbourne
Jan. 12 – Jan. 26 Australian Open Melbourne