A leading tennis player believes he has been "treated like a
criminal" after being hit with an 18-month ban for flouting doping
regulations and plans to take his case to the Court of Arbitration for
Sport.
World No. 53 Viktor
Troicki was suspended by the International Tennis Federation (ITF)
Thursday after being found guilty of failing to provide a blood sample
in a drugs test during April's Monte Carlo Masters.
But Serbian Troicki has
rejected the charge, alleging the doctor conducting the blood test
allowed him to miss the procedure and says he will now appeal the
decision.
Read: Tennis serves up new doping measures
"The doctor in charge of
the testing told me that I looked very pale and ill and that I could
skip the test if I wrote an explanation letter to the ITF about it," he
said in a statement.
"She dictated the letter to me and let me go without giving blood. She was very helpful and understanding.
"Now I'm being charged for refusing to undergo a blood test without justification. This is a real nightmare.
"I put my trust in the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, I really hope they will look for the truth and find it."
The 27-year-old Troicki
confirmed that he underwent a test the following day by the same doping
control officer with the result coming back negative.
He also revealed that he
had never previously missed a test and had undergone several blood and
urine examinations during his career.
But the ITF has taken a
different stance on the story, insisting that the doping control officer
had told Troicki that "she could not advise him as to whether his
reason for not providing a blood sample was valid, and that no such
assurances were given by her."
Read: Murray condemns 'cover up'
"I feel like I'm being treated like a criminal," added Troicki as he contemplated the 18-month ban.
"I have a fear of the
needle and I always have trouble drawing blood. But I always did. I am
clean and will always be clean throughout my career.
"I just had the wrong
doctor, who didn't tell me at all that I was risking anything. She
showed me a letter of the ITF saying she is in charge of the decisions
and I trusted her completely.
"I wish I had recorded the discussion, there would never have been a case if I had.
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"This enormous sanction
makes me speechless. It feels like the world that I help building
day-by-day has let me down. It is the worst feeling you can imagine."
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Troicki reached a career high of 12 in 2011 and has won $4.5 million in prize money during his career.
He is the third tennis player to be hit with a ban for drug violations in 2013.
In May, Brazil's
Fernando Romboli was handed an eight-and-a half-month ban after testing
positive for diuretics, furosemide and hydrochlorothiazide.
In February, Barbora
Zahlavova Strycova of the Czech Republic was banned for six months after
testing positive for sibutramine, a substance which is often found in
weight-loss products.
In March, the ITF confirmed it would introduce biological passports to tackle drug cheats.
Each player will have an
individual electronic biological profile and be tested more regularly
to monitor their levels and alert the authorities to possible drug use.
The scheme was welcomed by the world's top players with Roger Federer telling CNN that it was "naive" to think tennis was free of players who use drugs to enhance their performance.
Read: Tipsarevic says tennis is clean
But Troicki believes he was simply misled and insists he has no problem with the current drug regulations.
"The doping rules are
strict and they must remain strict. But this was a clear mistake from
the on-site doping control officer who was also a doctor and the person
in charge to decide," added the Serbian.
"She let me go and reassured me. In my opinion, once she found out that she didn't follow procedures she turned her back on me.
"I am destroyed and
exhausted. The whole period I have been thinking about this issue and
it's not over, so I can't really describe it.
"I am not even angry
with the doctor. I believe that maybe she was told her organization that
she made a big mistake letting me go. She backed up and tried to save
her job.
"I am a fighter and I
will try to fight together with my team and my lawyers but I am quite
destroyed now. I hope this nightmare will come to a good end. I really
want to continue playing. I don't deserve this."
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