British tennis star who was handed four-year suspension says ‘system is broken’ in honest statement
Tara Moore, the former world No 77 doubles player, believes that the anti-doping system is ‘broken’ after being handed a four-year suspension from professional tennis.
The Brit tested positive for the anabolic steroids nandrolone and boldenone in 2022, but was cleared by an independent tribunal in late-2023, which found that the positive finding was due to consuming contaminated meat which she had whilst in Colombia.
However, the tribunal’s finding was then challenged by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), and their appeal has now been supported by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Moore’s suspension will begin immediately, but is automatically reduced by 19 months after having her already-served suspension period taken into account.
“To be innocent and to have to prove this is an incredibly exhausting process,” began the Brit, during her statement on X.
“First, you are trying to figure out what all these things are. Second, you are trying to figure out how and why these things enter your system. If you are innocent, you don’t know it immediately. You have to remember everything you have done and eliminate what could not be, until you definitively come up with that ‘something’ that might have the answer.
“But even at that moment, you are supposedly guilty and have to fight for your life against someone who has much more money and resources than you.
“The last three and a half years have broken me in many ways. My family and friends have managed to gather the broken pieces and put them back together, forming a completely different person.
“I don’t need a jury to tell me I’m innocent; I know perfectly well my integrity and I know I am innocent. I believe anyone can see how subjective this process has been in these recent years.
“I have been helpless, a laboratory guinea pig. I had a life, but that life I knew has been taken from me. All those organizations and people in power have taken it from me for not doing the right thing.
“Perhaps they have taken away my fight on the court, but this battle is not over yet. Not for me, nor for many others who may be in this position.
“The antidoping system is broken; I am the best proof of that. We have to fix it. Not for me, because it is already too late, but for future players who may find themselves in this unfortunate situation. I will have much more to say when the time comes.”
Moore’s case was brought back into the public eye after world No 1 Jannik Sinner tested positive for the anabolic steroid clostebol in March 2024, but was determined to have ‘no fault or negligence’ by the independent tribunal in August of that year.
Similarly to the Brit, that decision was appealed – this time by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) – however, this argument was not heard in court after the agency and the four-time Grand Slam champion came to a settlement in February 2025 which detailed a three-month suspension.
The settlement made clear that Sinner bore no fault, but was negligent due to a team member accidentally contaminating him with the steroid through a routine massage.
“I guess only the top players’ images matter,” Moore wrote on X, after Sinner was initially cleared by the independent tribunal.
“I guess only the independent tribunal’s opinion on the top players is taken as sound and right. Yet, they question them in my case. Just makes no sense.”
However, despite the claim of inconsistency, the CAS was clear in their final statement.
“After reviewing the scientific and legal evidence, the majority of the CAS Panel considered that the player did not succeed in proving that the concentration of nandrolone in her sample was consistent with the ingestion of contaminated meat,” concluded the court.
“The panel concluded that Ms Moore failed to establish that the ADRV (Anti-Doping Rule Violation) was not intentional. The appeal by the ITIA is therefore upheld and the decision rendered by the Independent Tribunal is set aside.”
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The Chief Executive of the ITIA Karen Moorhouse further clarified: “For the ITIA, every case is considered according to the individual facts and circumstances.
“Our bar for appealing a first instance decision is high, and the decision is not taken lightly. In this case, our independent scientific advice was that the player did not adequately explain the high level of nandrolone present in their sample. Today’s ruling is consistent with this position.
“We understand that players and their support teams may have questions about this decision, and we will answer these fully once we have reviewed the details of the ruling.”