Alarming allegation made after star's drugs ban

1 year ago 97

An alarming assertion has been made successful the aftermath of erstwhile top-10 nonrecreational tennis subordinate Fernando Verdasco accepting a voluntary provisional doping suspension of 2 months.

Verdasco tested affirmative for a medicine for ADHD, the International Tennis Integrity Agency announced.

Verdasco, who turned 39 this month, said helium was taking methylphenidate arsenic medicine prescribed by his doc to dainty ADHD but forgot to renew his therapeutic usage exemption for the drug.

The integrity bureau said Verdasco has present been granted an exemption by the World Anti-Doping Agency moving forward.

He tested affirmative astatine an ATP Challenger tourney successful Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, successful February.

The integrity bureau said successful a quality merchandise that it "accepts that the subordinate did not mean to cheat, that his usurpation was inadvertent and unintentional, and that helium bears nary important responsibility oregon negligence for it," and truthful what could person been a two-year suspension was reduced to 2 months.

Verdasco volition beryllium eligible to vie connected January 8.

But his suspension has formed a spotlight connected a overmuch wider contented successful tennis.

High-profile tennis newsman Ben Rothenberg says "one ATP subordinate told maine helium estimates 'half of apical 100 is connected (Adderall)... possibly more', and not due to the fact that they person occupation focusing connected their homework".

"Lots of cynicism astir the TUE strategy wrong the locker room."

The accusation is galore nonrecreational tennis players are alleged to beryllium utilizing the medicine illegally to summation an advantage.

When quality of the Verdasco prohibition broke, Australian firebrand Nick Kyrgios was speedy to leap connected Twitter and reignite a longstanding feud with the Spaniard.

"Can't accidental I'm amazed with this one," Kyrgios tweeted.

Kyrgios and Verdasco person beef stretching backmost to 2018, erstwhile the Aussie again utilized Twitter to swipe his rival aft the second got into an on-court altercation with Thanasi Kokkinakis.

Verdasco unknowingly accused Kokkinakis' begetter of speaking during a match, starring to an statement betwixt the pair, and Kyrgios tweeted, "I anticipation TK wins this match, Verdasco is the saltiest dude, indispensable beryllium frustrated astatine his past occurrence against Aussies".

Then successful 2019 Kyrgios went connected a podcast and labelled Verdasco "the astir arrogant idiosyncratic ever".

- with AP

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