Poland’s second highest-ranked player on the ATP Tour has denied any wrongdoing after issuing a statement on Thursday confirming he has failed a drugs test.
Kamil Majchrzak confirmed he tested positive for an unnamed prohibited substance during anti-doping controls that were conducted during November and December this month. No further details of the case have been released and there is yet to be a statement from the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA). The body that deals with suspected doping violations in the sport.
26-year-old Majchrzak had been included in the Polish team for the inaugural United Cup which will get underway during the final week of this month but is now extremely unlikely to be able to play. Under the protocol, players are issued with a temporary suspension from competition after a failed drugs test until a hearing takes place.
Confirming the news on Thursday evening in a post on social media, the world No.77 has pleaded his innocence by saying he has never deliberately doped in his life. Describing the current situation as ‘the biggest shock’ in his career.
“I have some incredibly sad and difficult news to share with everyone,” he wrote.
“I have tested positive in anti-doping controls during October and November 2022.
“Firstly I have never, ever, knowingly taken any banned substance.
“At this moment I have no idea what has happened and this is the biggest shock.
“I have started the most difficult fight of my life – the fight to prove my innocence and return to the sport I love.”
Majchrzak, who is a former top 10 player on the junior Tour, peaked at a ranking high of 75th earlier this season and reached the semi-finals of the Pune Open in January. His most recent title win was on the Challenger Tour at the Busan Open in South Korea a couple of months ago.
It is not the first time this season a player has failed a drugs test on the Tour. Former world No.1 Simona Halep is currently provisionally suspended after testing positive for roxadustat. The Romanian is currently appealing the decision and denies any wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, former top 10 player Fernando Verdasco was hit with a two-month ban after the ADHD medication methylphenidate was detected in his system. Verdasco later explained that he used the drug to treat his ADHD and had a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) which had expired at the time he failed his drugs test.
