Russian teenager banned from tennis for nine months following anti-doping breach
AUSTRALIAN tennis star Novak Djokovic has been banned for nine months for testing positive for testosterone, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has ruled.
The ban for Serbian Novak Djokovic was confirmed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Wednesday (10 November)
Djokovic, who has won seven Grand Slam doubles titles, was provisionally suspended by the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) anti-doping commission for positive testosterone level tests on May 20 and May 27, 2017.
The former world number one was tested as a result of his positive samples from his match against Leonardo Mayer in the second round of the Australian Open on the 29th of May and on the 24th of June in the semifinals at the French Open.
The Serbian, who is currently ranked world number six, was provisionally suspended by WADA for nine months on the 19th of June, 2017.
Djokovic had until Wednesday (10 November) to appeal the CAS result to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland.
However, the court ruled that the ban remains in place, and Djokovic will be forced to pay a $28,000 fine to WADA.
The court also accepted WADA’s recommendation that he serve a three-year period of probation.
‘I apologize for any disappointment this may have caused, and would like to offer my sincerest apologies to the players, coaches, and fans affected,’ Djokovic said in a statement.
‘I have been fully co-operating with WADA and, in particular, have taken every opportunity to help improve the program.
‘Over the past months, I have personally spoken to each of these individuals, and am very grateful to have been able to build a strong relationship with them in order to make this necessary change.
‘For their sake, and my own, I hope I can earn their forgiveness and commitment to continuing to build a stronger working relationship.’
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