{"id":295349,"date":"2023-10-25T08:09:08","date_gmt":"2023-10-25T08:09:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/allmysportsnews.com\/?p=295349"},"modified":"2023-10-25T08:09:08","modified_gmt":"2023-10-25T08:09:08","slug":"tennis-star-hit-with-18-month-ban-breaks-silence-to-explain-missed-drugs-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/allmysportsnews.com\/tennis\/tennis-star-hit-with-18-month-ban-breaks-silence-to-explain-missed-drugs-test\/","title":{"rendered":"Tennis star hit with 18-month ban breaks silence to explain missed drugs test"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Jenson Brooksby has vowed to appeal a decision that saw him slapped with an 18-month ban from tennis, putting him out of competition until January 2025. The American was charged with missing three anti-doping tests in the space of a year. In a defiant statement, Brooksby said he had \u201cnever taken a banned substance in my life\u201d and explained why he believed one of the missed tests wasn\u2019t his fault despite an independent tribunal ruling against him.<\/p>\n

Brooksby\u00a0accepted a provisional suspension back in July after the International Tennis Integrity Agency found that he had three \u2018whereabouts failures\u2019 in a 12-month period. Tennis players are required to log their whereabouts for an hour a day and must be in the location given if a Doping Control Officer (DCO) arrives to conduct an anti-doping test.<\/p>\n

The former world No 33 accepted that he missed the first and third tests outlined by the ITIA but argued that the second missed test was through no fault of his own. But Brooksby received an 18-month ban on Tuesday – backdated to his initial suspension in July – after an Independent Tribunal had a \u201chigh\u201d degree of fault for missing the second test.<\/p>\n

The American tennis star has now broken his silence on the decision in a lengthy statement as he vowed to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Brooksby said he was \u201cvery disappointed\u201d to learn of his ban, adding: \u201cI have never taken a banned substance in my life, and I was open and honest with the ITIA throughout my case.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The 22-year-old also gave his reasoning for the second missed test despite the Independent Tribunal ruling against him. \u201cI understand that it is my responsibility and will learn and grow. I accepted that 2 of my missed tests were my fault, but I continue to maintain that my June 4 2022 missed test should be set aside,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

Brooksby claimed that he was ready and waiting during the one-hour slot he gave with his whereabouts but a mix-up with the hotel caused problems. He continued: \u201cOn 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cStarting on June 4, the room was in my room, but I had been asked that my name be added to the room days before that, and had even given my passport to the hotel front desk when I needed a new key – if my name was not on the room when I showed my passport before June 4, then I\u2019m not sure why the hotel gave me a key.<\/p>\n