Andrey Rublev says tennis’ anti-doping whereabouts program puts him in ‘a constant state of stress’ after revealing he recently forgot to change his schedule on one of their forms.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency operates a whereabouts program which is a requirement of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). It enables authorities to conduct random testing of players at any time based on where they say they are. Should a player not be in a location that they have specified without a reasonable explanation, they could face a suspension if such an incident happens three times within 12 months.
Jenson Brooksby was previously suspended from the Tour for missing three tests. He was initially hit with a 18-month ban before winning an appeal to reduce it to 13 months with it being backdated to when the third missed test allegedly happened.
“It’s an issue that scares me. We have to write down in a schedule where we’ll be at every hour of the day,” Rublev told reporters in Madrid on Monday.
“If you forget or aren’t there, it’s one of three mistakes. It’s not fair. This makes you live in a constant state of stress.”
“For example, yesterday I forgot to adjust my schedule because I came to Madrid. Luckily, nothing serious happened,” he later added.
The Russian also admits that he is wary about taking medication or eating certain foods in case they contain banned substances without him knowing. In the past, there have been cases where tennis players have linked their failed tests to eating contaminated meat. Meanwhile, in 2024 Iga Swiatek was briefly suspended after taking some jet lag medication that was contaminated with the banned substance Trimetazidine (TMZ).
“Over the years, I’ve become wary of taking medication. If I feel sick, I avoid taking anything.” He said.
“In my case, I’m lucky to be able to talk to doctors, but that’s not the case for everyone.
“The doubts even extend to food; there are prohibited substances even in meat. It can drive you crazy.”
It is not the first time Rublev has voiced concerns about anti-doping controls. Towards the end of last season, he described the rules as ‘super strict’ and argued the system should be a ‘little more understandable’ during an interview with the AFP news agency.
Rublev is the defending champion at the Madrid Masters which will get underway this week. He is seeking his second title of the season after winning the Doha Open in February.
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