MADRID, 25 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The American tennis player Jenson Brooksby was suspended for 18 months for skipping three anti-doping controls in the last year, a retroactive sanction that begins on July 5, according to the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).
“The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) can confirm that an independent court has suspended American tennis player Jenson Brooksby for 18 months after determining that the player had skipped three tests in a 12-month period,” the entity advanced in a statement.
Brooksby, 22, is ranked 301st in the world ranking, although in June 2022 he reached number 33 in the world. The sanction, retroactively, starts on July 5, 2023 and must end on January 4, 2025. Now, the player has 21 days to appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
The independent tribunal heard from the player and several witnesses, including the Doping Control Officer (DCO), about the controversy surrounding the second test, after Brooksby did accept that he skipped the first and third tests in the last year.
Taking all the evidence into account, the court concluded that Brooksby’s degree of fault for skipping those checks was “high”, highlighting that the DCO “took all reasonable steps to locate the player” at that second check and that the player was “negligent” by not being available “during identified hours.”
With this sanction, the American is prohibited from playing, training or attending any tournament authorized or sanctioned by the tennis members of the ITIA, that is, ATP, ITF, WTA, Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and US Open .
ITIA chief executive Karen Moorhouse insisted that “no one wants players to break the rules” so they are offering “support and education”. “We urge all players to take the necessary steps to ensure they are meticulous with their records,” she added.