Daniil Medvedev Confirms Missed Doping Tests After Wimbledon Win - UBITENNIS

Daniil Medvedev Confirms Missed Doping Tests After Wimbledon Win

By Adam Addicott
4 Min Read
Daniil Medvedev (RUS) playing against Hubert Hurkacz (POL) in the fourth round of the Gentlemen's Singles on No.2 Court at The Championships 2021. Held at The All England Lawn Tennis Club, Wimbledon. Day 7 Monday 05/07/2021. Credit: AELTC/Jed Leicester

Daniil Medvedev has revealed that he has previously missed anti-doping checks in his career and says the whereabouts system ‘is not easy’ to follow all the time. 

The world No.3 weighed in on the topic after finishing his second round match at Wimbledon where he defeated Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 6-3, 7-6(5). Anti-doping controls in tennis have been brought into the limelight once again this week after Jenson Brooksby revealed that he is provisionally suspended from the Tour. Brooksby, who is a former top 30 player, has been sanctioned due to allegations of three missed drugs tests within a 12-month period but is set to appeal against the decision. 

Under anti-doping rules, players must state on a form where they are for random anti-doping testing to take place. If a player is not where they said they would be and officials visit for testing, that counts as one strike.

“I had one or two missed tests. It was the first year I was on the ADAMS system. It’s not easy,” Medvedev told reporters at Wimbledon.
“Imagine you’re not married and you decide to sleep at your girlfriend’s who’s one hour away from your home, and you decide at the last moment. You forget to change the time slot. One missed test. Three can come pretty fast,” he added. 

Medvedev said since those missed tests earlier in his career, he has made sure that he doesn’t make the same mistake again. Although he doesn’t feel it right to criticize the system fully. 

“I think some cases are really bad luck. Then we have probably in other sports or in tennis some who are cheating,” he commented.

The Russian isn’t the only player to have spoken publicly about doping controls following news of Brooksby’s case. Denmark’s Holger Rune has previously criticized the system on social media, saying it is stressful for players due to their traveling commitments. 

I overheard the door bell at my home one time (can’t hear when at the balcony) They don’t give a sh…You have to sit by the door for one hour waiting every day 24/7/52 weeks per year. Super stressed about updating these time sloths daily because we travel so much,” Rune wrote on Twitter.

Rune joins Medvedev in the third round of Wimbledon after beating Spain’s Roberto Carballés Baena in straight sets. 

However, Alex de minaur has more direct view on the matter but insisting that rules are rules. The Australian was knocked out of Wimbledon by former finalist Matteo Berrettini.

“You’ve got to put where you are. You’ve got to allocate an hour each day of where you’re going to be, and they can decide to come up and look up where you’re supposed to be or not. you get three strikes. If you miss the three strikes, you get banned. That’s basically what happens for every tennis player,” said de Minaur.

Under anti-doping rules, athletes can be penalized without a positive test if they have three “whereabout failures” within a year’s span. Tennis’ anti-doping controls are overseen by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA). 

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