Australian Open 2026: Jetlag Strategies for Top Players
- Recent reports highlight instances of tennis players facing consequences or experiencing performance issues possibly linked to the use of melatonin, a supplement often used to regulate sleep cycles.
- Simona Halep served a four-month doping suspension in 2024 after testing positive for Roxadustat, a prohibited substance, which she attributed to contamination in a supplement she took for...
- The International Tennis Federation (ITF) initially imposed a four-year ban, but this was reduced to nine months by the court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).CAS found that Halep...
Recent reports highlight instances of tennis players facing consequences or experiencing performance issues possibly linked to the use of melatonin, a supplement often used to regulate sleep cycles. These cases raise questions about the purity of supplements and the potential for inadvertent doping violations.
Simona Halep‘s Doping Suspension
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Simona Halep served a four-month doping suspension in 2024 after testing positive for Roxadustat, a prohibited substance, which she attributed to contamination in a supplement she took for jetlag.
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) initially imposed a four-year ban, but this was reduced to nine months by the court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).CAS found that Halep bore no fault for the violation, but still imposed a sanction due to strict liability rules.
Halep’s suspension began on October 7, 2023, and ended on July 7, 2024. ITF Statement on halep Sanction
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Melatonin’s Impact on Performance
In 2023, Stefanos Tsitsipas publicly attributed a decline in his performance during his French Open quarter-final match against Carlos Alcaraz to the use of melatonin tablets.
Tsitsipas stated that the tablets made him feel sluggish and affected his physical capabilities during the match. Eurosport report on Tsitsipas’s comments
While melatonin is not a prohibited substance itself, concerns exist regarding potential contamination with banned substances during manufacturing.
Melatonin and WADA Regulations
Melatonin is currently classified as a prohibited substance in competition by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) when administered by any route other than oral. WADA Prohibited List (2024)
The WADA prohibited List is updated annually, and athletes are responsible for ensuring that any supplements they use do not contain prohibited substances. The use of oral melatonin is permitted, but athletes still bear the responsibility for ensuring its purity.
WADA’s stance on melatonin reflects concerns about its potential to enhance recovery and mask other doping agents, although scientific evidence supporting these claims is limited.
Supplement contamination and Athlete Risk
The contamination of dietary supplements with prohibited substances is a recurring issue in sports, leading to inadvertent doping violations.
independent testing of supplements has revealed that a significant percentage contain undeclared ingredients, including anabolic steroids, stimulants, and other banned substances. Informed-Sport and NSF Certified for Sport are third-party certification programs that test supplements for contaminants.
In 2018, a study published in *JAMA Network Open* found that approximately 28% of dietary supplements purchased online contained substances not listed on the label. JAMA Network Open Study on Supplement Contamination