Russian teenager banned from tennis for nine months following anti-doping breach
A Russian is banned from tennis for nine months following a doping offence.
The ban was handed down after Moscow’s anti-doping laboratory confirmed that the player tested positive after a recent game.
Alexander Slutsky, 18, from Chelyabinsk, was competing in the French Open, where he was set to play a doubles match.
The player, who was born in Chelyabinsk but moved to the UK at 10 months, is also accused of taking erythropoietin (EPO) and testosterone, which are banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
He received a ban of 30 days, meaning he will be prohibited from competing in all tournaments of the ATP, ITF and WTA Tour from January the 13th.
The player can still play matches on the Challenger tour and the Russian Federation Open.
A statement released by the WADA said: “The WADA and the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) have been informed about the case of Alexander Slutsky, who was found to have positive test results for the banned drug a month after the participation in a match in the [French] Open.”
“A detailed analysis showed that the positive result for prohibited substance erythropoietin (EPO) was due to a contamination event in the sample, which does not take into account the fact that the sample was collected with the athlete’s consent. Consequently, the athlete would get a 10-day partial suspension from the sanctioning body. The WADA considers that it is not possible to waive the penalty given and, accordingly, the athlete will be sanctioned with a total ban from all competitions for the period from January 13 to December 24.”
After the news emerged, Slutsky’s former coach, Dmitry Sankovich, described the situation as “an embarrassment” and told NBC News: “He is very disappointed and he understands everything. But I don’t know what to do in his place.
“So I