American tennis participant Jenson Brooksby has been slapped with an 18-month ban after lacking three drug exams in a 12-month window.
The ban was confirmed by the International Tennis Integrity Agency who launched a press release on Wednesday.
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The 22-year-old from California, who reached a profession excessive world rating of thirty third in 2022, will probably be eligible to return to competitors in January 2025.
The ITIA stated Brooksby’s suspension was made official following a gathering on October 10 involving the participant and witnesses together with a doping management officer.
Brooksby admitted lacking the primary and third drug exams, however had challenged the validity of the second take a look at he was judged to have missed.
He indicated he deliberate to enchantment the suspension, vowing to “keep fighting” in a submit on Instagram after his punishment was introduced.
“I have never taken a banned substance in my life, and I was open and honest with the ITIA throughout my case,” Brooksby stated.
“I accepted that two of my missed tests were my fault, but I continue to maintain that my June 4, 2022 missed test should be set aside.”
The American said the missed take a look at was all attributable to his cell phone being on silent mode and the room being booked beneath his physio’s identify.
Brooksby stated the doping management officer had arrived at his lodge on June 4 to be advised that he had not checked in.
“On that date, I was in my hotel room for the entirety of my 1-hour testing window. The hotel room had been booked for the first part of my stay in the name of my physio (who was staying with me), because the ATP did not provide me with a room until June 4,” he wrote.
“Starting on June 4, the room was in my name, but I had asked that my name be added to the room days before that.
“For some reason the hotel told the doping control officer that I had not yet checked in, but they did show him their computer screen which had my room number listed.
“The doping control officer never asked the hotel to call my room, so I did not know that he was there to test me – no call was made to my hotel room.
“The doping control officer only called my cell phone (which was on silent) in the last 4 minutes of the testing window (6:56am).
“Had he called my hotel room even once, I would have for sure been test, because I was awake and had nothing to hide.”
The tribunal nonetheless dismissed his arguments and imposed an 18-month sanction.
“Having considered the evidence, the tribunal found that Brooksby’s degree of fault for the missed test was high,” the ITIA stated in a press release.
The panel stated a doping management officer who tried to hold out the second take a look at had taken “all reasonable steps” to find Brooksby on the time.
“The whereabouts programme is a vital tool in maintaining a clean sport and no-one wants players to fall foul of the rules in this way,” ITIA chief government Karen Moorhouse stated in a press release.
“We urge all players to take the necessary steps to ensure that they are meticulous with their whereabouts filings.”
– with AFP
Source: www.news.com.au
