Former world No 1 issues 'life ban' call amid Iga Swiatek doping controversy
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Former world No 1 Yevgeny Kafelnikov has called for “no excuses and zero tolerance” as he called for players who failed drug tests to be banned for life.
Tennis is again at the centre of attention for all the wrong reasons following the news that WTA world No 2 Iga Swiatek tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ) in August.
The five-time Grand Slam was found to be of “no significant fault or negligence” after successfully claiming that medication she was using – melatonin – had accidentally been contaminated.
Swiatek was provisionally suspended for 22 days between September 12 and October 4, meaning she will serve only eight further days of her ban after being handed a one-month suspension by the ITIA.
The Pole’s doping controversy is the second such saga within tennis in recent months, after Jannik Sinner twice tested positive for banned steroid clostebol in March 2024.
The Italian was found to be of “no fault” in his case after successfully claiming contamination and was handed no suspension.
Reaction to both cases has been hugely divisive and two-time Grand Slam singles champion Kafelnikov revealed on Twitter/X that he believes any player testing positive should be banned for life.
He wrote: “Sometimes i wonder…..”why the hell up i was not using steroids thru all of my carrier [sic], so i could play instead of 170 matches a year to maybe 300”? This is really [a] shame what's happening to tennis now.
“It should be LIFE ban for anybody who gets caught using ban substances! NO excuses and ZERO tolerance no matter who your [sic] are!!!!”
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In a further tweet, the 2000 Olympic gold medallist expressed his concern that the cases involving Swiatek and Sinner could set a bad example to junior players.
He added: “And the sad part to all of this is that young and upcoming players(12-16 years old) look at they idols and think maybe it's normal to use steroids in the future and get away with this! Current players setting bad examples for young generations.”
News of Swiatek’s case was made public on Thursday, having been unpublicised until then.
The Pole’s failed test came on August 12, just before the Cincinnati Open, and she missed the Korea Open, China Open, and Wuhan Open amid her provisional suspension following September 12.
Swiatek cited fatigue, personal reasons, and her coaching split as the reasons for her withdrawals during that period.
The 23-year-old’s provisional suspension was lifted in early October, allowing her to play in the WTA Finals and the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.
“This whole thing will definitely stay with me for the rest of my life, it took a lot of strength – returning to training after this situation nearly broke my heart,” she said in a statement.
“I admit this situation hit me hard because all my life I strived to have a career that could be an example for generations to come, a career that’s going to be fair in a sense, that will show I was fair and will embody all the values a top athlete should stand for.
“I have a sense this situation could undermine the image I’ve been building for years, which is why I hope you will understand what happened, understand how I had no control over it, and could do nothing to prevent this unfortunate turn of events.”
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