The doping cases keep haunting the tennis world! Last year, we saw two big names, i.e., Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek, getting themselves into some real trouble due to the doping incident. Sinner had to serve a three-month ban (which ended on May 4) after reaching an agreement with WADA, and Swiatek accepted a one-month suspension in November 2024, after having tested positive for the banned substance (TMZ). According to ITIA’s review, there has been a 26% increase in anti-doping tests in 2024 compared to the previous year, with 9,151 being carried out. It says that they have now started educating players more about anti-doping rules, especially on the risk of contaminated supplements. However, despite all these efforts, there are still some cases that are coming out here and there. Recently, a Romanian tennis player got suspended by the ITIA after testing positive for a banned substance. Who’s that player?
After Sinner and Swiatek, in December last year, Australia’s Max Purcell admitted to a breach of Article 2.2 of a TADP relating to the use of a “Prohibited Method.” In fact, according to various reports, Purcell had also requested to enter into a provisional suspension on December 10, 2024. Several reports claim that his suspension came into effect two days later. Commenting on Purcell’s ban, the one who has always been very vocal on the doping cases, Nick Kyrgios said, “So honest feelings about how ridiculous Purcell’s ban is? Vitamins? Can we justify this? Or can we just admit now that the whole system is cooked.”
These are surely not a good image for any sport, and adding to more troubles is the recent 10-month suspension of the 29-year-old Romanian tennis player Irina Fetecau. According to various reports, she tested positive for the prohibited substance 4-Methylpentan-2-amine, a stimulant, after consuming a contaminated pre-workout ‘Gorillalpha Yeti Juice’ supplement. The violation, however, was deemed by the ITIA to have been accidental and the product of an adulterated product and a circumstance leading to the reduction of the ban. Previously, we’ve seen another Romanian star, Simona Halep, getting banned for testing positive for the banned substance, Roxadustat.
Fetecau’s case has now added a bit more worry about the threats to all the sports personnel who take unregulated nutritional supplements. Talking about the player, Irina Fatecau has won three singles and four doubles titles on the ITF Women’s Circuit. Her highest rank has been reaching 207 on 29 November 2021. As per the ITIA, in August 2024, Fetecau notified the ITIA that they had identified a contaminated supplement as the source of the stimulant found in their samples, through independent testing at a WADA-accredited laboratory in Seibersdorf, Austria. These findings were later on reviewed by the ITIA and the scenario was verified by an independent scientific expert as plausible.
As things stand as of now, for the player due to her ban, results, prize money, and ranking points from the event in which she had tested positive are forfeited, but no further events are disqualified.
Via ITIA: Romanian tennis player Irina Fetecău has been suspended for a period of 10 months for testing positive for the prohibited substance 4-Methylpentan-2-amine, a stimulant, after consuming a contaminated pre-workout ‘Gorillalpha Yeti Juice’ supplement. pic.twitter.com/chqWIPVC3m
— Reem Abulleil (@ReemAbulleil) May 12, 2025
The increase in the number of cases has raised quite a few question marks on the overall process. Building trust among the players seems to be the most challenging task for ITIA. According to the ITIA Anti-Doping Senior Director, Nicole Sapstead, “The past 12 months have reinforced the challenges involved for players and their support teams, 30% of anti-doping rule violations in tennis over the past 15 years can be attributed to contaminated supplements, and there is work to be done. It remains our view that the vast majority of players compete clean, and the largest proportion of TADP (Tennis Anti-Doping Programme) cases involve unintentional doping.” Recently, ITIA came up with some rules that raised quite a few eyebrows in the tennis world…
ITIA’s controversial anti-doping shower update draws several reactions from the tennis world
In order to strengthen the anti-doping procedures after a series of doping cases in the last few months, the ITIA came up with a new set of rules last month. It issued a controversial update to its anti-doping policy regarding the post-match showering. Although it allows players to shower before the post-match dope tests because they feel skipping a shower could negatively impact their “health and wellbeing.” But at the same time, according to the new rule, those players who choose to shower before providing the sample must remain “in full view of the chaperone observing them at all times.” It also strictly instructs that any failure to do so “will be taken extremely seriously.”
After seeing this, renowned tennis journalist Jon Wertheim shared this post on his X handle with the caption, “This is …extraordinary.” Later on, Andy Murray’s former coach, Mark Petchey, shared his post with the caption, “This is unacceptable.” Serena Williams’ former coach, Rennae Stubbs, wrote, “We always have had to shower with the door open. The drug testing people were with us every minute from the moment we walked off the court, including watching us shower. I don’t know what they’re putting this out now.”
Even Chris Evert joined Stubbs later, saying, “Firstly, yes, they had drug testing the last year I played , in which I went right off the court to the ladies’ room with my cup…shower was after…” However, according to the renowned commentator, Gill Gross, although the new rule reads like “absolutely bonkers,” he clarified that statement, saying, “But in practice, it basically just says ‘you should really pee in the cup before you shower, not after. Then say that, instead of ‘we’re going to watch you‘ – always confounds me when organizations have this large of a PR blunder.”
After seeing these reactions, the ITIA came up with a statement saying that they recognize that parts of the anti-doping testing process are “uncomfortable“, but they claimed players’ welfare is their topmost priority, and hence they will continue to advocate for it, without impacting the integrity of the sample. What are your thoughts, though, on the rise of doping cases in the tennis world these days?
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