5 biggest women's tennis stars who faced drug suspensions ft. Iga Swiatek, Maria Sharapova
A clean sport is paramount for its popularity. Athletes resorting to unfair means aren't being fair to their opponents, or the fans. Unfortunately, either intentionally or otherwise, some players do break the rules and are punished for it.
Tennis has witnessed its fair share of controversies arising from players failing their doping tests. On the women's side, Martina Hingis was one of the leading players on the WTA Tour to be caught. She was given a two-year suspension for having benzoylecgonine in her system in 2007.
More players have been caught in the act since then, with some of them being the sport's leading names. On that note, here's a look at five prominent women's tennis players who have served doping suspensions:
#5 - Dayana Yastremska
Yastremska was touted as a promising junior, and her transition to the pro level was going smoothly as well. She won her maiden WTA title at the Hong Kong Open 2018 as an 18-year-old and won two more titles the following year.
After an uneventful 2020, Yastremska made headlines in January 2021 after it was announced that she had tested positive for mesterolone during a routine test in November, and was provisionally suspended. She refuted all allegations against her and asserted that the positive test was likely due to contamination.
Yastremska appealed the decision, and the saga eventually concluded June 2021, when the ITF ruled that she bore "no fault or negligence". She was immediately eligible to compete and returned to the tour at the Hamburg Open in July. Since then, a semifinal at the Australian Open 2024 has been the highlight of her career.
#4 - Sara Errani
Errani enjoyed a great period of success in the mid-2010s. She completed a career Grand Slam in doubles by 2014 and was the runner-up at the French Open in singles in 2012. However, her form had started to wane in the second half of the decade.
Instead of fading into obscurity, Errani was back in the limelight, albeit in an unexpected manner. She failed a doping test in Februrary 2017, and it was announced in August that she would be suspended for two months.
Errani had tested positive for Letrozole, a banned substance. In her defense, she stated that she might have ingested it by accidentally having her mother's anti-cancer medication in a home-cooked tortellini while visiting her. She was stripped of her ranking points and prize money she had gained since her test, and her ban was further extended to 10 months.
#3 - Simona Halep
Following an injury-ridden 2021, Halep resumed her winning ways in 2022. She had won two titles by August, including the Canadian Open, and even made the last four at Wimbledon. A first-round exit from the US Open dampened her spirit, but the worst was yet to come.
It came to light in October that Halep tested positive for roxadustat, a prohibited substance, during the US Open, and she was banned for four years. Anomalies in her blood passport were the reason behind such a harsh sentence. She maintained her innocence during this time and vowed to fight until the end.
The back-and-forth with the authorities continued throughout 2023. The matter came to a close in March 2024, with the Court of Arbitration for Sport agreeing with Halep's defense regarding the positive test being due to contamination. Her ban was reduced to nine months, which she had already served. She returned to action at the Miami Open in March and lost to Paula Badosa in three sets in the first round.
#2 - Maria Sharapova
Sharapova became an overnight sensation after beating Serena Williams in the final of Wimbledon 2004 to win her maiden Major title. Over the next decade, she completed a career Grand Slam and became the World No. 1, along with many other achievements.
Sharapova was one of the most marketable athletes across all sports and made a killing on and off the court. However, all that came to a grinding halt in March 2016. She held a press conference, and while many speculated a surprise retirement, they instead received some unexpected news.
The Russian admitted to testing positive for meldonium and failed a doping test during the Australian Open. The substance is used to heart conditions among other things, and she was prescribed by her doctor for the same. It wasn't on the list of banned substances but was added to the list in January 2016.
Sharapova received a two-year ban, and after fighting it, the sentence was reduced to 15 months. She lost a lot of sponsors during this period and received little support from her peers. She returned to action in April 2017 and attained modest success.
#1 - Iga Swiatek
Swiatek is the latest entrant to this infamous club. On November 28, the International Tennis Integrity Agency announced that she was served a month-long ban after testing positive for trimetazidine. It's also the real reason behind her absence from the Asian swing this year. She failed an out-of-competition test in August and was provisionally suspended from September 12.
Swiatek stated that she took melatonin, a medicine used to help with jet lag and sleeping, and she tested positive due to a contaminated dose of the same. The ITIA ruled that she bore "no significant fault or negligence" and will walk away without a significant penalty.
The Pole's provisional suspension ended on October 4 following an investigation. However, she still has to finish her month-long sentence. The three weeks of her provisional suspension are included in it, so she now has only a week left to serve and will be eligible to compete from December 4.