Tennis has been hit with another high-profile doping case two days before Christmas after two-time Grand Slam doubles champion Max Purcell accepted a voluntary provisional suspension for violating the rules.
In a statement issued by the International Tennis Integrity Agency on Monday, the 26-year-old has admitted to violating Article 2.2 of the Tennis Anti-Doping Program “relating to the use of a Prohibited Method”. The suspension dates from December 12th (two days after Purcell requested to enter a provisional suspension) and the time he serves under this will be knocked off whatever future penalty he may recieve.
“During the provisional suspension, Purcell is prohibited from playing in, coaching at, or attending any tennis event authorized or sanctioned by the members of the ITIA (ATP, ITF, WTA, Tennis Australia, Fédération Française de Tennis, Wimbledon and USTA) or any national association,” the ITIA statement read.
Doping violations concerning prohibited methods are rare in tennis. According to the official rulebook, there are three ways a player can violate this rule. This can be by Gene and Cell Doping, blood doping, or Chemical and Physical Manipulation.
In a statement published on his Instagram account, Purcell says his doping violation was caused by an IV infusion of vitamins that amounted to more than the permitted 100ml amount. The tennis star says he was unaware at the time that the amount going into his system was above the legal level. His medical records also show he has had more than 100ml even though he had informed the clinic that he is an athlete and has to abide by anti-doping rules.
The only way an athlete might be permitted to have more than 100ml of vitamins infused is if they have any hospital admissions, surgical procedures or clinical investigations. IV infusions are used for recuperation, recovery or lifestyle purposes. In 2022 Sport Integrity Australia issued a warning to athletes advising them to avoid IV drips ‘unless it is a recognised treatment of an established medical condition.‘
“I have voluntarily accepted a provisional suspension since I unknowingly received an IV infusion of vitamins above the allowable limit of 100 ml,” Purcell said in a statement.
“Until last week when I received medical records from a clinic showing that the amount of an IV I had received was above 100 ml, I was fully convinced that I had done everything to ensure that I had followed the WADA regulations and methods.
“But the records show that the IV was over that 100ml limit, even though I told the medical clinic that I was a professional athlete and needed the IV to be below 100 ml.
“This news was devastating to me because I pride myself on being an athlete who always makes sure that everything is WADA safe. I volunteered this information to the ITIA and have been as transparent as possible in trying to put this whole situation behind me. I look forward to being back on the court soon.”
Purcell currently has an ATP ranking of No.12 in doubles and No.105 in singles. He is the reigning US Open doubles champion and also won the Wimbledon doubles title in 2022. Overall, he has earned more than $4M in prize money and won eight ATP titles.
Earlier this year, Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek also served provisional suspensions for doping violations but managed to successfully appeal against them. However, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is appealing against Sinner’s verdict to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). WADA argues the finding that Sinner held no fault or negligence is “not correct under the applicable rules.” A date for the hearing is yet to be confirmed.