After the second high-profile doping case, tennis is fighting for its credibility. The one-month ban for the Polish world number two Iga Swiatek, just like the case of Italy’s tennis star Jannik Sinner, raises doubts about equal treatment and transparency.

“The excuse we can all use is that we didn’t know. “Just didn’t know,” Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios wrote on the X platform: “Professional athletes at the highest level can now simply say: “We didn’t know”.”

When asked by a tennis portal about the boldest prediction for the 2025 tennis season, Kyrgios replied sarcastically: “That our world number one won’t fail doping tests.”

WTA stands by Swiatek

Swiatek was number one in the tennis world in her positive doping test on August 12th, as was Sinner, who tested positive twice for the anabolic steroid Clostebol in March. Sinner was acquitted by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (Itia) because, according to the investigative commission, no intentional negligence could be proven. Swiatek accepted a one-month ban.

But the process confirms her innocence, she said in an Instagram video. In a statement, the WTA professional association spoke of an “unfortunate incident” and assured the top player of its full support. Swiatek has “always shown a strong commitment to fair play and adherence to the principles of clean sport.”

During a training check, the five-time Grand Slam tournament winner was found to have a small amount of the banned substance trimetazidine. According to her own statement, the 23-year-old took a non-prescription medication to combat the effects of jet lag. The contamination of this medication led to the positive test result. The investigators classified the Polish woman’s statements as credible and considered it a non-serious case.

“Malicious intent” or “based on facts”?

The verdict caused great incomprehension, especially among Simona Halep. “I stand here and ask myself: Why is there such a big difference in treatment and judgment?” wrote the Romanian on Instagram. The two-time Grand Slam tournament winner suspects “evil intention” on the part of Itia.

Halep was banned for four years by the commission in 2023 due to a positive doping test and irregularities in the athlete’s passport. Their argument that the positive test resulted from the consumption of a contaminated food supplement was only later followed by the international sports tribunal Cas. The ban was shortened to nine months.

There were also critical voices at Sinner that the investigative commission did not always act with the same degree. The World Anti-Doping Agency Wada lodged an objection with Sinner and brought the case before the Cas. WADA is currently checking whether it will also do the same in Swiatek’s case. “We treat every case based on facts and evidence, not the name, ranking or nationality of a player,” said Itia in response to a dpa request.

Fans are being lied to

And what about credibility? Swiatek’s cancellation of the Masters 1000 tournament in China at the beginning of October was officially explained to fans by saying that she was taking time out to make changes in her team. In reality, it was one of three tournaments that Swiatek was not allowed to participate in due to the suspension. No matter which side it came from, the fans were lied to.

Regardless of the question of guilt, the approach paints “a terrible picture for the sport,” commented the Portuguese tennis journalist José Morgado on X. “Tennis has a doping problem,” wrote the British newspaper “The i”: “Tennis cannot wait “That the general public will take him seriously when he conducts his most important business – because in the integrity of sport nothing is more important than anti-doping – in the dark before presenting it to the world as a fait accompli.”

President Dietloff von Arnim of the German Tennis Association shows understanding for the excitement. “We have to face this criticism,” he told the German Press Agency. Von Arnim called for more transparency in the anti-doping fight, “there should be no sloppiness that there may be double standards.”

The Itia justified the action. Since Sinner and Swiatek successfully appealed against the provisional ban within ten days, the suspensions were not published in accordance with tennis anti-doping rules.