The 2007 season for tennis appears to be crammed with drug abuse and bans. Two of the men’s players have been suspended this year for failing drug tests and three others are serving bans, including Slovakia’s Karol Beck. With singles ranking much lower and currently rated 52nd in the world for doubles, Brazilian tennis star, Marcelo Melo has been banned for two months for a doping violation.
The doubles specialist had made it to the men’s doubles quarterfinals at the U.S. Open and also to the semifinals at Wimbledon, winning 82,095 dollars in the process, along with fellow Brazilian Andre Sa. This has lead to his forfeit of the prize money won and ranking points as well.
Although, the ban has been reduced from the usual two years to only two months as Melo did not intentionally take the substance to improve his game. The suspension that backdates September 10 ends by November 9.
The Anti-Doping Programme in Tennis is a comprehensive and internationally recognized drug-testing programme that applies to all players competing at tournaments sanctioned by the ITF, ATP and WTA Tour. Players are tested for substances prohibited in accordance with the World Anti-Doping Agency and upon a finding that a doping offence has been committed the sanctions are imposed as per the requirements of the World Anti-Doping Code.
Via: Bloomberg
