‘Broken me into so many pieces' – Tennis star breaks silence on four-year ban and says her life has been ‘ripped away'

Scottish Sun

3 days ago

BROKEN ACE 'Broken me into so many pieces' – Tennis star breaks silence on four-year ban and says her life has been 'ripped away'
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BRITISH tennis star Tara Moore has broken her silence on her four-year ban.
The former British No 1 doubles player was handed the ban from tennis for doping earlier this month.
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Tara Moore has broken her silence on her four-year ban from tennis
Credit: Getty
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She was banned after testing positive for anabolic steroids
Credit: Getty
Moore, 32, originally received the ban in 2022 following positive tests for prohibited substances nandrolone and boldenone.
She managed to get the ban lifted after 19 months, after an independent tribunal found that she "bore no fault or negligence", as it was argued she ingested the drugs in contaminated meat.
However, her ban has since been upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
This decision was made after an appeal by the International Tennis Integrity Agency.
The ban means that Moore will be unable to compete until at least the start of the 2028 season.
This is because she has already served the first 19 months of the ban.
Moore has now released her first statement since the decision to ban her.
The ace has emotionally admitted that she is "broken" and claimed that the anti-doping system is "broken".
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She wrote: "To be innocent and to have to prove that is an incredibly gruelling process.
"Firstly, you're trying to figure out what these things are. Secondly, you are figuring out how and why these things got into your system.
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"If you are innocent, you don't just know straight away. You have to go through everything you've done and eliminate what it can't be, until you settle on something it most likely is.
"Even then, you are presumed guilty and have to fight for your life against someone who has more money and resources than you.
"The last three and a half years have broken me into so many pieces.
"As my family and friends have scrambled to pick up the broken shards of me, they've glued me back together in the form of a different person.
I have had my life as I knew it ripped away from me because the organisations and people in power failed to do what was right.
Tara Moore
"I don't need a panel to tell me I'm innocent. I know the integrity I bring, and I know I am innocent. I believe everyone over the past couple of years can see how subjective this process is.
"I have been the underdog. I have had my life as I knew it ripped away from me because the organisations and people in power failed to do what was right.
"They may have taken my fight away on the court, yet my fight is not over, not for me or others like me.
"The anti-doping system is broken. I am proof of this. We need to fix it.
"Not for me as it's too late, but for future players who find themselves in this unfortunate situation.
"I have so much more to say when the time is right."
Moore has claimed that the banned substances were discovered in her urine sample after she ate pork and beef while in Colombia.
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Moore will not be able to play until 2028 at the earliest
Credit: Getty
And CAS has insisted that Moore was not able to prove that the nandrolone was from the meat.
A statement read: "After reviewing the scientific and legal evidence, the majority of the Cas panel considered that the player did not succeed in proving that the concentration of nandrolone in her sample was consistent with the ingestion of contaminated meat.
"The panel concluded that Ms Moore failed to establish that the ADRV (Anti-Doping Rule Violation) was not intentional.
"The appeal by the ITIA is therefore upheld and the decision rendered by the Independent Tribunal is set aside."
Moore had returned to the ITF World Tour in April 2024 and was in the draw for Wimbledon and the US Open.
She was also featured at the Australian Open in January this year.