Top three tennis players who escaped doping ban ft. Jannik Sinner, Andre Agassi & more
Jannik Sinner became the latest entrant on the list before US Open 2024.
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) have always been strict against the use of drugs by tennis players. The standards help the sport stay equal and fair for all the participants. However, at times, players breach the line and also manage to avoid the punishment.
Meanwhile, making the judgment of guilty or not guilty on major occasions depends on the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Thus, let’s take a look at the top three players who avoided a ban despite testing positive for doping.
Tennis players who escaped doping ban despite testing positive
3. Richard Gasquet
Richard Gasquet tested positive for cocaine in 2009. However, the Frenchman denied using any such drug and stated that he may have been exposed to the substance after kissing a female at a Miami nightclub. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) initially aimed to hand Gasquet a two-year ban.
However, it was later decided that the Frenchman would serve a one-year ban, which was also eventually overturned following an independent review, which found the case was unintentional. WADA and ITF challenged CAS for Gasquet’s decision, and he was banned from May 2009 to July 2009. In January 2010, he was found not guilty by CAS.
2. Andre Agassi
In 1997, Andre Agassi tested positive for the usage of Methamphetamine. An investigation was launched by WADA and ATP for the former American tennis star, and it was initially stated that Agassi would be handed a three-month ban. However, the ban was not forced on the eight-time Grand Slam champion after he blamed the positive result on a spiked drink.
Interestingly, the case was revisited in 2009 after Agassi’s autobiography, Open: An Autobiography, was released. In the book, he admitted to lying to the board and being an addict to methamphetamine, which caused his personal and professional problems. However, no formal case was opened against Agassi for the offense.
1. Jannik Sinner
Jannik Sinner became the latest name on the list before the 2024 US Open after the Italian tennis star made a statement via his social media accounts. In the social media post, it was stated that the Italian tennis star failed two doping tests during the 2024 Indian Wells Masters. He was tested positive for Clostebol, a banned substance.
Clostebol is an anabolic androgenic steroid (AAS) that is derived from testosterone. As per the aforementioned post, he had a trace element of the substance in his body, which is less than a billionth of a gram. Other tennis stars such as Nick Kyrgios, Liam Broady, and Denis Shapovalov called out Sinner and ITIA for mishandling the case.
