Doping cases: Tennis players on edge

As Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek prepare for the new season after a year in which they fell foul of doping rules, positive drug tests due to contamination are a genuine fear for many of their fellow professionals.

The star duo spent small fortunes on quickly proving how the banned substances had entered their systems but other players, many of whom do not have huge financial resources at their disposal, are understandably jittery.

“A lot of the players I know are quite apprehensive,” former US Open champion Emma Raducanu told British media this month.

“Everything we take, we are aware of the situation and how easily things can be contaminated.

“There are certain supplements that I may want to take, but I can’t take them because they are sold over the counter and not batch tested.”

Raducanu said it costs over $1 000 to batch test supplements.

Russian former world number five Andrey Rublev echoed Raducanu’s comments, saying he was “super afraid” to ingest anything he was not absolutely sure about.

London-based academic Andrea Petroczi, who is involved in research on anti-doping, said surveys showed increasing concerns among elite athletes around the world about doping violations caused by contamination.

“(They) expressed fear and anxiety about unintentionally violating anti-doping rules that could have grave consequences on their reputation, careers and livelihoods,” Petroczi told Reuters via email.

Many athletes take precautions, Petroczi said, including meticulously checking medications, avoiding any unnecessary treatments, relying on third-party tested supplements and recording batch numbers of supplements and medicines.

Some go as far as maintaining logs and avoiding certain foods in specific countries, but they understand that even the highest levels of vigilance cannot completely eliminate the risk of contamination or environmental exposure.

“Importantly, it’s also crucial to acknowledge that the resources and strategies required for this level of vigilance are not universally accessible,” added Petroczi, a professor of public health at Kingston University.

“There is a clear “Global North”/”Global South” divide, with disparities in education, resources and support systems, leaving many athletes more vulnerable.”

Sinner was cleared of wrongdoing after he was able to satisfy doping authorities that trace amounts of the anabolic androgenic steroid clostebol in his system came from his physiotherapist during massages. — Reuters.