US tennis star accepts provisional suspension after ‘missing three doping tests’

Wimbledon: Day three wrap

American tennis star Jenson Brooksby will serve a provisional suspension from the International Tennis Integrity Agency after he was accused of missing three doping tests in a 12-month period.

The 22-year-old confirmed that he accepted the suspension on Wednesday in a telephone interview with the Associated Press, but denied any wrongdoing and is hoping to get it overturned.

Brooksby, from Sacramento, California said: “Taking the provisional suspension is the best decision that we have to make right now. I’ve never failed a drug test. I’ve never taken any bad substances.”

The current world No. 101 plans to go to arbitration with the ITIA, which oversees tennis doping cases. Under the anti-doping rules, a player can be penalised without having provided a positive test if they have clocked up three “whereabouts failures” in a 12-month period.

Howard Jacobs, a lawyer working with Brooksby, told AP: “‘Whereabouts’ is a pretty tough requirement for them, with how much they’re travelling. There’s no allegations he took any banned substances.”

Jacobs also added that “we’re confident about” the case’s outcome. The legal expert expects Brooksby to be given an arbitration hearing in the next few months.

Brooksby’s lawyer also works with two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep, who had charges brought against her by the ITIA after she failed a drugs test at the US Open last year.

Brooksby has fallen down the rankings as a result of requiring two operations for dislocated wrist tendons on both of his arms, putting him out of action for the last six months. He had previously been ranked as high as 33rd in the world.

His last appearances on court were notable ones, upsetting Grand Slam runner-up Casper Rudd in the Australian Open second round before losing to eventual semi-finalist Tommy Paul in the third round.

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Although Brooksby has accepted the provisional suspension, he has also made it clear that he does not believe he has done anything to warrant the sanction.

In a statement sent to AP by his advisor Amrit Narasimhan, Brooksby said: “The provisional suspension is not an admission that I have done anything wrong; to the contrary, I have denied this charge and am waiting for an arbitration with an independent tribunal. The protocols of the anti-doping program are in place to protect the integrity of our sport, and I respect and support these protocols.”

The statement also mentions that “one of the alleged missed tests” occurred in June 2022, two days before the start of an ATP tournament in Holland. Brooksby wrote that he “was at the official tournament hotel where I said I would be, and in my hotel room, and the time that I had said I would be there.”

Narasimhan added: “We knew all along that we would probably have to go to arbitration to get this dismissed. Brooksby has not had a soda in five years. That’s how clean this guy is.”

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