Latest news with #TennisAnti-DopingProgramme
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Cincinnati Open 2025: Rybakina beats Sabalenka to set up semifinal against Swiatek
Elena Rybakina defeated top seed Aryna Sabalenka 6-1, 6-4 on Friday to knock the defending champion out in the quarterfinals of the WTA and ATP Cincinnati Open. Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon winner, claimed a fifth victory in her 12-match personal rivalry with the world number one. The victory was revenge for a loss to Sabalenka on Berlin grass two months ago. Rybakina will play in a semifinal against Iga Swiatek, who defeated Anna Kalinskaya 6-3, 6-4. Third-seeded reigning Wimbledon champion Swiatek dominated to break fresh ground at one of the only two 1000-level tournament where she has failed to reach a final Rybakina was helped by 11 aces as she upset Sabalenka to achieve her first Cincinnati semi-final. 'I'm happy with the serve. It was the key today. I served really well,' Rybakina said. 'If she had been serving well, it would have been a totally different match. It was also intense from the baseline. I just hope to continue like this,' she added. Rybakina has won her last three matches against Swiatek, all played this season. ALSO READ | ITIA suspends Japanese player for 10 months under Tennis Anti-Doping Programme The Kazakh held her nerve in the second set as Sabalenka delivered a pair of love games, with Rybakina saving a pair of break points with aces to lead by a set and 5-3. Swiatek needed 93 minutes and five match points to get past Kalinskaya and earn revenge for a loss she took in February 2024 in a Dubai semifinal. The former world number one finally moved into the Cincinnati final four on a steamy day after the 34th-ranked Kalinskaya saved four match points in the penultimate game. But third seed Swiatek, enduring 30 Celsius temperatures, finally prevailed to advance to her fourth 1000-level semi-final of the season. 'We need to get used to the heat with how the world is changing,' the winner of six Grand Slams said. 'It's getting worse and worse, I guess.' Swiatek, who broke on three of 11 chances in the match, said the contest was 'much different' from her loss last season against Kalinskaya. 'I just played my game. It was not easy but I'm happy that I stayed solid and kept my intensity,' she said. Swiatek heads into the semifinals with 47 wins and the Wimbledon title in hand this season.
Indian Express
30-04-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Tennis: Why another Grand Slam champion has accepted a doping ban
Max Purcell, the 27-year-old Australian who won the men's doubles 2024 US Open title, accepted an 18-month suspension from professional tennis due to an anti-doping breach on Tuesday. The case became the third high-profile recent anti-doping offence in the tennis world. Men's World No. 1 Jannik Sinner is currently serving the end of his three-month ban for failing dope tests in March last year, and women's World No. 2 Iga Swiatek served a retrospective one-month ban at the end of 2024. The difference between the case of Sinner and Swiatek, and that of Purcell, is that the Australian has not tested positive for any banned substances. Instead, his ban relates to the use of a 'prohibited method' after, as he claims, he unknowingly received two intravenous (IV) infusions of vitamins of over 500 ml on December 16 and December 20, 2023. The allowable limit under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme is 100ml, within a 12-hour period. In releasing information regarding the sanction, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said that Purcell cooperated with the investigation which led to a 25 per cent reduction in his sentence. 'This case does not involve a player testing positive for a prohibited substance but demonstrates that the anti-doping rules are broader than that,' ITIA CEO Karen Moorhouse was quoted as saying by Reuters. The recent ramping up of anti-doping controls have led to more tennis players coming into the doping net and more invasive testing – including outrage over a recent instruction from the ITIA that players that wish to take a shower before giving doping samples must do so in full view of chaperones. After Sinner and Swiatek both tested positive, and both successfully claimed cases of accidental contamination, the ITIA has said that players have approached them for aid and information regarding the protocols. 'We have seen an increase of players asking for advice and assistance since the high-profile cases, and we are working on ways to make that easier,' the ITIA told Reuters. 'There are lots of resources that are available to assist with checking supplements and medications. If players, coaches and medical staff have questions, they can contact us. We are not trying to trip people up, our role is to protect the sport and maintain a level playing field.'
New York Times
29-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Max Purcell, Grand Slam doubles champion, accepts 18-month doping ban
Max Purcell, an Australian who won last year's U.S. Open men's doubles event, has accepted an 18-month suspension for breaking anti-doping rules. Purcell was provisionally suspended in December 2024, after admitting to breaching Article 2.2 of the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP), which relates to 'use of a prohibited method.' Purcell did not test positive for a banned substance, but received two intravenous infusions of over 500ml on December 16 and December 20 2023. The allowable limit under the TADP is 100ml, within a 12-hour period. Advertisement In the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) decision in Purcell's case, it described Purcell asking 'the Clinic staff not to keep receipts relating to his infusion,' in messages sent to another professional player. Purcell also 'discussed ways in which he could justify receiving infusions, including feigning illness.' The ITIA found 'a significant degree of fault or negligence' on Purcell's part, but did not determine that the evidence in his case met the threshold for his violations to be proved intentional. He therefore received a two-year ban, which has been reduced by six months for 'Substantial Assistance' in the investigation. 'This case has been going on for months, seriously affecting my quality of life,' Purcell said in a statement. 'From being unable to eat and sleep properly, to refusing to be by myself, to developing nervous and anxious tics which I still currently battle day to day. 'I'm so glad this is finally over for me and I can move on with my life.' Time served under provisional suspension counts against the ban, meaning that Purcell's suspension will end on June 11 next year. Purcell will also forfeit results and prize money from the date of his first violation (16 December 2023) to the first subsequent negative doping control sample, which was provided on 3 February 2024. While banned, Purcell will be prohibited from coaching at, or attending any tennis event authorised or sanctioned by the members of the ITIA (ATP, ITF, WTA, Tennis Australia, French Tennis Federation, Wimbledon and USTA) or any national association. Purcell is the third Grand Slam champion to have received a doping ban in the last nine months, following suspensions for Jannik Sinner and Iga Świątek. The former is currently serving a three-month ban, after the banned substance clostebol was found to have entered his body via contamination. Advertisement He was initially cleared by an independent tribunal convened by the ITIA, but after an appeal by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), Sinner and WADA's legal teams reached a case resolution agreement. Świątek was banned for one month after being found guilty of accidentally ingesting the prohibited substance Trimetazidine (TMZ), thanks to a contaminated melatonin supplement. Purcell has waived his right to appeal. WADA and Sports Integrity Australia can appeal the decision, and if they do, the Purcell can appeal also. ITIA chief executive Karen Moorhouse said: 'This case does not involve a player testing positive for a prohibited substance but demonstrates that the anti-doping rules are broader than that. It also shows that the ITIA considers intelligence from a range of sources with the overriding aim to protect everyone covered by the tennis anti-doping rules, and ensure a level playing field for all.'
Daily Mirror
29-04-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Wimbledon tennis champion issued lengthy suspension and forced to give up prize money
Max Purcell has been banned by the International Tennis Integrity Agency after breaching the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme in December 2023 Former Wimbledon doubles champion Max Purcell has been slapped with a suspension. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) have come down hard on the 2022 winner after violating the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme. The Australian will find himself on the sidelines until at least mid-2026, after being handed an 18-month ban. His suspension has been backdated to last December when he was first pinged for a potential foul. The ITIA revealed that in December 2023, Purcell crossed the line by undergoing intravenous infusions exceeding 500 millilitres, landing him in hot water. His sanction was reduced by 25 per cent due to his full cooperation with the ITIA. Post-admission, he opted into a voluntary provisional suspension on December 12, 2024, the same day he got wind of the possible breach. Now he will also have to forfeit any winnings accumulated from December 16, 2023 – the date of his infringement – up to the day a drug test came back clean on February 3, 2024. Purcell will be banned from playing in, coaching at, or attending any tennis event authorised or sanctioned by the members of the ITIA. These include the ATP, WTA and ITF as well as any national association. Karen Moorhouse, chief executive of the ITIA, remarked: "This case does not involve a player testing positive for a prohibited substance but demonstrates that the anti-doping rules are broader than that. "It also shows that the ITIA considers intelligence from a range of sources with the overriding aim to protect everyone covered by the tennis anti-doping rules, and ensure a level playing field for all." Speaking out on his anti-doping suspension via Instagram, Purcell said: "This case has been going on for months, seriously affecting my quality of life. "From being unable to sleep and eat properly, and refusing to be by myself, to developing nervous and anxious tics which I still currently battle day to day. "I couldn't sit and enjoy anything without the thought of the case and the endless possibilities of what sanction I would receive. I was nothing but cooperative with the ITIA. I'm so glad this is finally over for me and I can move on with my life. "The ITIA accepted that the infusion over the 100ml limit was not intentional. It's a case completely on exceeding the allowable limit of volume for an infusion. "All substances in the infusion were WADA approved and beyond that, it provided me with zero performance-enhancing benefit. It was 11 days prior to my first match of the season and was also administered as a 24/7 medical facility, in a third world location after feeling unwell and fatigued from training." Purcell claimed victory at Wimbledon in 2022 with partner Matthew Ebden and then secured last year's US Open title alongside fellow Australian Jordan Thompson.
Reuters
27-03-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Building trust crucial, says tennis's anti-doping agency
LONDON, March 27 (Reuters) - Improving trust in anti-doping rules is a priority for the International Tennis Integrity Agency after several high-profile cases last year raised doubts over its processes, CEO Karen Moorhouse said in the ITIA's annual review. Men's world number one Jannik Sinner accepted an immediate three-month ban in February after reaching an agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) which appealed against the decision of an independent tribunal to clear him of any wrongdoing after a positive doping test. Poland's five-times Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek accepted a one-month suspension in November having tested positive for banned substance trimetazidine (TMZ) which she said was the result of contamination of her sleep medication. The speed with which Sinner and Swiatek's cases were dealt with, and the leniency shown, cast a spotlight on the anti-doping system after former world number one Simona Halep criticised officials for lengthy delays in her own case. "(The Jannik Sinner) case has invariably raised further questions about the anti-doping process in tennis," Moorhouse said in the report published on Thursday. "We -- alongside our funders -- are determined to answer them, and drive deeper understanding of the work we do within the sport. "The complexity of the system is one of the many reasons why it's important that we continue to work together with our members and tennis stakeholders to build trust." Accusations of double standards were aimed at the ITIA while 24-times Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic said there had been a lack of consistency and transparency in the cases while Australian Nick Kyrgios described the Swiatek and Sinner cases as "disgusting" for the sport. The Professional Tennis Players' Association (PTPA), which this month filed a lawsuit against tennis's governing bodies, accuses the ITIA of violating players' privacy rights with random drug tests. The ITIA's review highlights a 26% increase in anti-doping tests in 2024 compared to the previous year with 9,151 being carried out. It says educating players about anti-doping rules, especially the risk of contaminated supplements, was a major pillar of its strategy for the next three years. "The past 12 months has reinforced the challenges involved for players and their support teams," ITIA Anti-Doping Senior Director Nicole Sapstead said. "30% of anti-doping rule violations in tennis over the past 15 years can be attributed to contaminated supplements, and there is work to be done. "It remains our view that the vast majority of players compete clean, and the largest proportion of TADP (Tennis Anti-Doping Programme) cases involve unintentional doping." Sinner, who won his third Grand Slam title at this year's Australian Open despite uncertainty about WADA's appeal, tested positive for anabolic agent clostebol at last year's Indian Wells and Miami tournaments, with the Italian saying it had entered his system from a member of his support team through massages and sports therapy.
