Novak Djokovic's PTPA organisation come down hard on Swiatek ruling

Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek.

The Novak Djokovic-founded PTPA (Professional Tennis Players Association) has hit back at the WTA over their claim that Iga Swiatek’s suspension was an “unfortunate incident”. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) confirmed that Swiatek had received a one-month suspension, the majority of which has been completed, after it was deemed the Polish star carried “no significant fault or negligence.” The world No. 2 was found to have had trimetazidine (TMZ) in her system shortly before the Cincinnati Open, before serving 22 days of her ban during the Asian swing.

A swift statement was released by the WTA describing the situation as an “unfortunate incident” as their support was offered to Swiatek as she navigated the suspension and subsequent fall-out. But the PTPA have taken issue with that labelling by the WTA, as the association’s executive director Ahmad Nassar took to social media to lament the response. “I’m sorry. This was not an “unfortunate incident,” Nassar wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter). “A real unfortunate incident is something you cannot control. Tennis can – and should! – no, must! – control its own anti-doping process. “Athletes indeed face ‘challenges.’ Like, the weather. And their opponents. But the messy, tennis-establishment imposed anti-doping process is not some ‘challenge’ athletes must overcome. That’s a cop-out. “What ‘precaution’ should Iga have taken here? Pre-test melatonin on the minuscule chance it was contaminated? Come on.

Iga Swiatek will be able to play at next year's Australian Open.

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“Perhaps the tours which claim to ‘fully support’ players should offer pre-tested common medications, like melatonin, to all players? What’s that? Sounds unreasonable? Oh ok – then why do we place even more unreasonable standards and burdens on individual athletes??? “And dropping this on Thanksgiving morning in the US is classic subterfuge.” With just eight days left on Swiatek’s suspension, she will be able to return and compete in her next two events at the United Cup and the Australian Open, months after men’s No. 1 Jannik Sinner was cleared following his positive test for a banned anabolic steroid.

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