Max Purcell, the 27-year-old Australian who won the men’s doubles 2024 US Open title, accepted an 18-month suspension from professional tennis due to an anti-doping breach on Tuesday.
The case became the third high-profile recent anti-doping offence in the tennis world. Men’s World No. 1 Jannik Sinner is currently serving the end of his three-month ban for failing dope tests in March last year, and women’s World No. 2 Iga Swiatek served a retrospective one-month ban at the end of 2024.
The difference between the case of Sinner and Swiatek, and that of Purcell, is that the Australian has not tested positive for any banned substances. Instead, his ban relates to the use of a ‘prohibited method’ after, as he claims, he unknowingly received two intravenous (IV) infusions of vitamins of over 500 ml on December 16 and December 20, 2023. The allowable limit under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme is 100ml, within a 12-hour period.
In releasing information regarding the sanction, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said that Purcell cooperated with the investigation which led to a 25 per cent reduction in his sentence.
“This case does not involve a player testing positive for a prohibited substance but demonstrates that the anti-doping rules are broader than that,” ITIA CEO Karen Moorhouse was quoted as saying by Reuters.
The recent ramping up of anti-doping controls have led to more tennis players coming into the doping net and more invasive testing – including outrage over a recent instruction from the ITIA that players that wish to take a shower before giving doping samples must do so in full view of chaperones.
After Sinner and Swiatek both tested positive, and both successfully claimed cases of accidental contamination, the ITIA has said that players have approached them for aid and information regarding the protocols.
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“We have seen an increase of players asking for advice and assistance since the high-profile cases, and we are working on ways to make that easier,” the ITIA told Reuters. “There are lots of resources that are available to assist with checking supplements and medications. If players, coaches and medical staff have questions, they can contact us. We are not trying to trip people up, our role is to protect the sport and maintain a level playing field.”
