Aussie tennis star Nick Kyrgios has claimed that tennis ‘was in the mud’ after yet another player was announced to have breached anti-doping rules on Monday.
Max Purcell admitted to breaching Article 2.2 of the Tennis Anti-Doping Program, relating to the ‘use of a Prohibited Method’.
The 26-year-old is now serving a voluntary provisional suspension, which began on December 12. Purcell stated on Instagram that he had ‘unknowingly’ received a transfusion of vitamins that had exceeded the ‘allowable limit of 100ml’.
His suspension comes after Grand Slam winners Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner were both embroiled in doping controversies earlier this year, with the former being handed a one-month suspension.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has also appealed a decision by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) which found that Sinner bore ‘no fault or negligence’ after having twice tested positive for the prohibited substance clostebol. A decision on that appeal is not expected to come until next year.
Kyrgios, meanwhile, has been vocal on the situation of both players. He notably claimed that the decision by the ITIA to not suspend Sinner was ‘ridiculous’. He later announced that he was eager to face off against the Italian when he returned from injury.
Nick Kyrgios has spoken out on recent doping controversies in tennis, after another Grand Slam winner was suspended on Monday
Kyrgios took to X to write: ‘Gee wiz our sport is in the mud at the moment’ following news that Max Purcell had been suspended
Purcell has elected to enter a voluntary provisional suspension after he had admitted to violating Anti-doping rules
On Monday, the 29-year-old Australian, who previously branded the sport ‘cooked’ following Swiatek’s suspension, took to X once again to speak his mind on recent doping suspensions.
‘Gee wiz our sport is in the mud at the moment,’ Kyrgios wrote on Monday, following the announcement that Purcell had been suspended.
It has not yet been revealed how long Purcell will be absent for, but the Aussie tennis player, a two-time doubles Grand Slam winner, took to Instagram to state that he was ‘devastated’ by the news.
‘As announced by the ITIA today, I have voluntarily accepted a provisional suspension since I unknowingly received an IV infusion of vitamins above the allowable limit of 100ml,’ Purcell wrote on Instagram.
‘Until last week when I received medical records from a clinic showing that the amount of an IV I had received was above 100ml, I was fully convinced 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 100ml.
‘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.’
Kyrgios, meanwhile, is on the verge of returning from a spate of injuries that have seen him play just one competitive match in the past two years.
Purcell made a statement online in which he revealed that he had ‘unknowingly’ received a transfusion of vitamins above the ‘allowable limit’
In a statement on his Instagram, Purcell said he was ‘devastated’ by the news, adding that he had told medical professionals that he needed an IV injection that was below 100ml
But he has been vocal over his criticisms over the ITIA’s decision to clear Sinner.
‘You get tested twice with a banned (steroid) substance… You should be gone for 2 years,’ Kyrgios had written on X.
He later doubled down on those statements, stating to ESPN via Nine: ‘Everything I put on social media I have to stand up for.
‘I’ve seen many of my friends go through doping things and being suspended. We’ve seen players like (Simona) Halep or Jenson Brooksby – players who’ve had their careers taken away from them.. it seems like every time one of these things comes up, there’s always a different process for different players.
‘I think he had it on his own terms for most of the time. I don’t think that’s fair and equal for the rest of the tours.
‘Every physio that’s employed by a player, as well as every player… we get sent a prohibited substance list every year.
The Aussie tennis star has doubled down on his criticisms on social media adding: ‘Everything I put on social media I have to stand up for’
The ITIA found that Sinner bore ‘no fault or negligence’ following his positive tests but WADA has appealed their decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport
‘On page five, it says ‘Prohibited at all times’. If there’s a clearing we need to get a definition of what ‘Prohibited at all times’ means. I’m pretty sure that means no matter what amount or if it shows up… that means you tested positive.
‘Why is his team carrying a banned substance that we know is completely not necessary in the sport is another question itself.’
The Aussie tennis star did, however, state that the comments were not a direct criticism of Sinner’s character.
‘It’s nothing against Sinner personally at all. He’s one of the greatest tennis players we have right now. I’m not denying that. Nothing against him personally,’ Kyrgios said.
‘I’m definitely not going to be warm and hospitable like I was before. I just want a level playing field for everyone. That’s what this fight is for.
‘I got tested at my hotels two days ago. We do get tested consistently. This is a sport I’ve played my whole life. If the playing field isn’t the same for everyone, you kind of lose the integrity of the sport a little bit.’
