Will tennis bust a doping scandal or ruin a career?

A system designed to uncover cheating in tennis has come under intense scrutiny after former Wimbledon champion Simona Halep was suspended for a doping violation.

British doubles player Tara Moore's loss of two years of her career also raises questions. She recently returned with contaminated meat believed to be the cause of her failing the test.

Key figures at the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), an independent body set up by the sport's governing bodies to fulfill its mission of delivering 'tennis you can trust', say the agency is still living up to its purpose. claims.

“No one would nail a tennis player or ruin their career for no reason, but we reach our conclusions according to evidence and independent expertise,” an ITIA official told BBC Sport.

Those who have seen their careers derailed by what some perceive to be a complex and unfair process are not convinced.

Former world No. 75 Kamil Majszulzak, who was suspended for 13 months after failing a doping test in 2022, said: “For them, this is a procedure. They have one job, and they can do it depending on the accusation.'' We must give them the maximum punishment possible.”

“But it's our lives at stake, not theirs.”

Halep, a two-time major champion, has always maintained her innocence and regularly criticized the ITIA's process during the proceedings, describing it as an “ordeal”.

Her former coach, Darren Cahill, accused the ITIA of “false accusations and a false narrative” and called for a “complete review” of the way it operates.

ITIA chief executive Karen Moorhouse acknowledged that the former world number one Halep's case “raised some fair and important questions”. But the agency rejected Cahill's call, saying it was doing everything in accordance with regulations.

The ITIA applies the rules set by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and can be investigated if the rules are deemed not to be properly enforced.

Like Halep, Majkrzak also failed the 2022 test and pleaded not guilty. He said the incident had caused significant “trauma”.

The 28-year-old regularly plays in the Grand Slams and represented Poland at the 2020 Olympics, reaching a career-high ranking, but was told a urine test had found traces of anabolic steroids.

Mr. Michrzak claimed that the herbal energy drink was contaminated. ITIA tested several unopened sachets of the supplement and confirmed that his test accounted for the adverse findings.

Already serving a provisional seven-month ban, he decided not to continue to challenge the 13-month ban he was handed down. He was able to start playing again in January.

“I really put a lot of effort into working with my psychologist, my coach, my wife and my family to get through the worst period of not having the best life,” he told BBC Sport.

“My life was meaningless, I had no goals. My life was all about tennis. Suddenly, I didn't know if I would ever play again. It was a shock.”

Moore, 31, was suspended in May 2022 after the anabolic steroids Boldenone and Nandrolone, which are on Wada's banned list, were detected in his system.

In December 2023, an independent panel ruled that the meat she ate while playing in Colombia was the source of both substances.

After the sentencing, Moore spoke of “19 months of mental anguish as I watched my reputation, my status and my livelihood slowly disappear.”

However, the incident is not over yet. The ITIA is appealing the ruling that both substances in her body were the result of contaminated meat.

Moore restarted his career at a low-level event in Sardinia this week, a month after setting up a fundraising page to support his return.

Meiszulzak estimates he is still dipping into his savings as he spends “100,000 or 150,000 euros” on the case and travels around the world trying to rebuild his career.

Players are unranked upon their return and rely on wildcards from sympathetic tournament directors to enter the event.

Majkrzak feels “blessed” to have been invited to play in the bottom tier of clubs in Tunisia and Egypt.

The few ranking points he earned were a valuable starting point.

That encouraged him to go to Rwanda to compete in two events on the ATP Challenger Tour (a lower level of the main ATP Tour), playing with a small entry list. He ended up winning one of the titles.

This month, he participated in more Challenger events in China and Taiwan, hoping to qualify, although he is not guaranteed a spot in the tournament.

“I'm still struggling financially. I still have to live, I still have to eat, I still have to function,” Meiszulzak said.

“When you trade futures, you have to travel there, and you're still losing money. You've been losing money for the past 16 months.”

In 2023, ITIA conducted 7,247 doping tests in and out of competition. Of these, 13 failed the inspection and were suspended.

Halep and Majsulzak are two of the three top 100 players sanctioned, with American Jenson Brooksby also suspended for missing his third drug test in a year.

“ITIA believes that the vast majority of tennis players are clean and intend to comply with the rules of the Tennis Anti-Doping Program (TADP).”

“It is also reasonable to say that some players may choose to cheat and others may violate the rules through carelessness or carelessness.”

Halep had been charged with two separate doping offenses and was initially given a four-year ban by an independent panel. Her punishment was reduced to nine months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas).

Kass partially upheld his original decision, but ruled that he did not intentionally take roxadustat “on the face of possibility.”

ITIA agreed that Mr Meiszulzak did not knowingly take any prohibited substances. However, he was found to be “strictly responsible” and should have known that the supplements posed “substantial risks”.

The ITIA is trying to avoid being seen as a “police” by athletes, but says the World Anti-Doping Code does not have “flexibility against inadvertence.”

“Any anti-doping violation, intentional or unintentional, can have multiple consequences,” it added.

Maiszurzak coach Marcel du Coudray recently claimed that the ITIA shows little empathy and “bullies” players into accepting punishments.

These accusations are strongly denied by ITIA.

Although Meiszurzak did not use the same words as Du Coudray, he feels that some players have no choice but to withdraw, both financially and emotionally.

“My lawyers told me I had a very strong case and had a great chance of winning if I went to Kass, but they warned that the process could take many more months.

“They believed the offer was not very fair, but advised me that it was the best I could get under the circumstances.”

Halep, 32, missed 17 months in what was probably the twilight of her career. This was when her initial four-year ban was reduced on appeal, giving her a shorter ban than she had already served.

Moore was finally reinstated on April 30, nearly two years after his interim suspension.

Investigations into failed doping tests are often complicated, especially when athletes deny knowingly taking drugs.

Players submit evidence to disprove or mitigate a failed test, resulting in further investigation and testing by the ITIA.

In Halep's case, the independent tribunal received around 8,000 pages of evidence from the player's lawyers and the ITIA.

“We recognize that taking a case to hearing and making a subsequent decision is the end of a time- and resource-intensive process, and can be stressful for individuals,” the ITIA said. Stated.

“Our priority is to prevent problems from occurring at the source, which is why we continue to prioritize prevention and education.”

Maiszulzak said he understands the complexity, but cases need to be resolved more quickly.

“I had one version of events from the beginning, with evidence and details explained. I sent everything asked very quickly and there wasn't much email back and forth. .

“It took me seven months to get a 13-month offer.

“Tennis careers don't last very long and I'm losing time in the formal process.”