Tennis players involved in doping and fixing investigations are eligible for free legal assistance, secret counseling or assistance in the cost of testing for products ingested that may have tested positive for drug tests, the International Tennis Integrity Agency announced Wednesday.
The trial program will start soon and is scheduled to be reviewed next year or later.
Athletes can receive up to $5,000 for testing contamination of medicines and supplements at a World Anti-Doping Organization-certified testing agency, or they can help equally assist in identifying possible sources of contaminated meat. This is a common explanation for failing doping tests in sports.
Sports Resolutions, an independent dispute resolution service that runs courts in tennis anti-doping litigation, has extended its free legal assistance in such cases until the first time a player tests positive for a banned substance. Until now, this service was only available after a player was charged.
Sporting Chance, a group that works on sportsmen’s mental health, will also provide six health support to those under investigation for anti-corruption and anti-doping violations.
“We recognize that this process can have economic and mental costs,” said ITIA CEO Karen Moorehouse.
“No player picks up a tennis racket as a child with any motivation other than playing a game,” she added. “Individuals are in this situation for a variety of reasons, so no matter what the reason or the outcome of the incident, they need someone to talk to.”
ITIA was involved in two particularly high-profile doping incidents in the tennis world that began last year, and ultimately banned Yanik Sinner and Iga Syfiatek, who won multiple Grand Slam titles in the top rankings.
Sinner reached an agreement with WADA to accept a three-month suspension, ending in April after the group filed for exoneration from the ITIA on the basis of its finding it was an accidental contamination with anabolic steroids.
Sifiatech has agreed to a one-month suspension, partially fulfilled during last offseason, after testing positive for over-the-counter drugs being contaminated.
Some tennis players, especially Novak Djokovic, who has won the majors, have criticized the way in which the incident is handled, saying he has a sense of predisposition towards the big stars in the sports world.
