Tennis legend John McEnroe has stated that he has no problems with players taking drugs to enhance their performance as long as the drugs are legal.
The former world No.1 made the comments during an interview with the BBC. The comments coincide with Maria Sharapova’s recent failed drugs test after testing positive for meldonium. The Russian has been taking the drug for ten years, however, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) added the drug to its list of banned substances in January this year. Weighing in on the debate about doping in tennis, McEnroe has said that taking legal drugs in sport is a ‘no-brainer’.
“If a drug is legal? That is like a no-brainer. I mean, are you kidding?” McEnroe told BBC Sport.
“People have been looking since the beginning of time for an edge, and you’re constantly looking for these things in any way, shape or form.”
In the past McEnroe has dismissed the idea that doping is widespread in tennis. In 2013, he said that the sport ‘was one of the cleanest’ in terms of players taking steroids in the sport.
“I would say we are one of the cleanest, if not the cleanest, sport when it comes to steroids because of the precautions and testing that is now done.” He said.
There are a wide variety of legal methods that can be used to help players development. One example is Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP), a procedure where blood is withdrawn from the patient and is then spun to produce a high concentration of platelet cells. The blood is then injected back into the patient. PRP does contain growth factors, however, the WADA have concluded that there is insufficient evidence to prove it is performance-enhancing. One notable user of PRP is Rafael Nadal.
What makes a drug a banned substance?
The difference between a banned substance and a legal one is that the banned one can be used intentionally to enhance a person’s performance in sport. WADA currently has a nine-page booklet outlining the list of prohibited substances in sport. Drugs can be added to the list after they are investigated by the WADA monitoring program. The program seeks to identify any potential deliberate misuse of the drug in sport. The drug is added to the list of banned substances, if it meets two of the following three conditions.
The substance or method has the potential to enhance, or does enhance performance in sport.
The substance or method has the potential to risk the athlete’s health.
WADA has determined that the substance or method violates the spirit of sport.
The current drugs placed on the WADA monitoring list are the following:-
Stimulants: In-Competition only: Bupropion, caffeine, nicotine, phenylephrine, phenylpropanolamine, pipradrol and synephrine
Narcotics: In-Competition only: Mitragynine and tramadol
Glucocorticoids: In-competition (by routes of administration other than oral, intravenous, intramuscular or rectal) and Out-of- Competition (all routes of administration)
Telmisartan: In and Out-of-Competition
