Rising American tennis star set to resume career after drug ban is reduced on appeal
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) have been active in issuing sanctions on players who infringed doping rules in recent months, but now they have moved to reduce a ban handed out to American youngster Jenson Brooksby.
Brooksby was for 18 months by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) last year after he missed three drug tests within a 12-month period.
The American was first handed a provisional suspension by the ITIA in July this year after he committed three whereabouts failures in the span of a year.
Brooksby accepted the voluntary provisional suspension for missing the tests, but at the time he strongly denied doping and opted to go to arbitration, stating in an interview: “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 case was heard on October 10 2023 and the ITIA has announced that an independent tribunal has suspended the 22-year-old although it accepted that the reason for two of the player’s missed tests “were valid”.
The ban was backdated from July 5 and Brooksby, meaning the player was due to be allowed to compete again from January 5, 2025.
Now the ban has been reduced, with the ITIA releasing a statement that confirmed Brooksby can return to action next month.
“The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) can today confirm that an agreement has been reached with American player Jenson Brooksby, which sees their period of ineligibility reduced to 13 months,” read their statement.
“In October 2023, Brooksby – who reached a career-high world singles ranking of 33 in 2022 – was issued an 18-month suspension by an independent tribunal for missing three anti-doping tests in a 12-month period.
“However, new information relating to the circumstances giving rise to the missed tests – which had not previously been available to the ITIA or the independent tribunal during the initial hearing – was submitted as part of the player’s Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) appeal proceedings.
“On the basis of a detailed review of the new information, the ITIA, in consultation with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), determined that the player’s degree of fault for the Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) should be reassessed.
“Following reassessment, the ITIA, WADA, and the player’s representatives agreed that Brooksby’s fault for the ADRV was not as high as previously found by the independent tribunal, and a 13-month sanction was appropriate. The sanction will be backdated to the date of the player’s third and final missed test.
“As such, Brooksby’s suspension is deemed to have begun on 4 February 2023, and will end on 3 March 2024. In reaching an agreement with the ITIA, the player has withdrawn their appeal to CAS.
“Due to the nature of the new information disclosed, it is not possible for the ITIA to discuss the specific details behind the reassessment or offer further comment.”
READ MORE: When will Simona Halep get a verdict in appeal against her doping ban?
Brooksby hit out at his punishment year, as he explained his version of events in a social media post.
“I’m very disappointed to learn that I have been suspended for 18 months, for having 3 missed tests. I have never taken a banned substance in my life, and I was open and honest with the ITIA throughout my case,” wrote the 22-year-old.
“I understand that it is my responsibility and will learn and grow. I accepted that 2 of my missed tests were my fault, but I continue to maintain that my June 4, 2022 missed test should be set aside.
“On that date, I was in my hotel room for the entirety of my 1-hour testing window. The hotel room had been booked for the first part of my stay in the name of my physio (who was staying with me), because the ATP did not provide me with a room until June 4.
“Starting on June 4, the room was in my name, but I had asked that my name be added to the room days before that, and had even given my passport to the hotel front desk when I needed a new key – if my name was not on the room when I showed my passport before June 4, then I’m not sure why the hotel gave me a key.
“For some reason, on the morning of June 4, the hotel told the Doping Control Officer that I had not yet checked in, but they did show him their computer screen which already had my room number listed on it.
“Even having that information, the Doping Control Office never asked the hotel to call my room, so I did not know that the Doping Control Officer was there to test me – no call was made to my hotel room for the entire hour, and the Doping Control Officer only called my cell phone (which was on silent) in the last 4 minutes of the testing window (at 6:56AM).
“Had the Doping Control Officer called my hotel room even once, I would have for sure been tested because I was awake and had nothing to hide.
“I intend to appeal this decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. I have been fighting injuries for almost a year, and my return to the sport that I love will unfortunately be delayed a little bit longer. But I will be back, and I hope it will be soon.”
The ITIA are currently awaiting the outcome of Simona Halep’s appeal against a four-year doping ban, as she claims she took the illegal substance roxadustat without her knowledge.
