London, Oct 8 (AP) Tennis players caught up in doping or match-fixing investigations now have access to complimentary legal assistance, private counselling, and financial aid to test potentially contaminated products that led to positive drug results, as announced by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) on Wednesday.
The pilot initiative is set to commence immediately and will undergo evaluation after the following year.
A player is eligible to receive up to USD 5,000 for a laboratory accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to analyze a medication or supplement for contamination, or the same amount for assistance in identifying potential sources of contaminated meat—an oft-cited reason for failed doping tests in sports.
Sport Resolutions, an independent dispute resolution service that handles anti-doping tribunals in tennis, is extending its free legal support to begin when a player initially tests positive for a prohibited substance. Previously, this service was only available after a player faced charges.
Moreover, Sporting Chance, an organization dedicated to supporting athletes' mental health, will offer six well-being sessions for individuals under investigation for anti-corruption or anti-doping breaches.
"We recognise the process can come at both a financial and emotional cost," stated ITIA CEO Karen Moorhouse. She continued, "No player picks up a tennis racket as a child with any motivation other than playing the game."
"Individuals find themselves in these situations for a myriad of reasons, and regardless of those reasons, and irrespective of the outcome, they also deserve someone to talk to," she added.
The ITIA was involved in two particularly notable doping cases in tennis that began last year, leading to brief suspensions for players ranked No. 1 and multiple Grand Slam title holders, Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek.
Sinner negotiated a deal with WADA, accepting a three-month suspension—concluding this April—after the group contested an ITIA exoneration grounded on what they ruled as inadvertent contamination by an anabolic steroid.
Swiatek accepted a one-month suspension, partly served during the last off-season, following a positive test attributed to what she claimed was a contaminated non-prescription medication.
Some tennis players, including 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic, have criticized the manner in which cases were handled, alleging favoritism towards the sport's major stars.
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