Rafa Nadal has asked the International Tennis Federation to publish the
results of his drug tests following an accusation of doping by a former
French cabinet minister.
Tennis - Monte Carlo Masters - Monaco, 14/04/2016. Rafael Nadal of
Spain plays a shot to Dominic Thiem of Austria. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard
REUTERS: Rafa Nadal has asked the International Tennis
Federation to publish the results of his drug tests following an
accusation of doping by a former French cabinet minister.
The 14-times grand slam champion said on Monday he was suing
Roselyne Bachelot, a former health, sports and social affairs minister,
after she alleged the Spaniard had failed a drugs test.
The Spaniard wrote to the ITF asking his drug test results to be made public, British media have reported.
“It can’t be free any more in our tennis world to speak and
to accuse without evidence," media reports quoted the 29-year-old as
saying.
"Please make all my information public, please make public
my biological passport and my complete history of anti-doping controls
and tests. From now on I ask you to communicate when I am tested, and
the results, as soon as they are ready from your labs.”
Nadal has never failed a drug test.
The ITF declined Nadal's request but said the player was free to publish them himself.
“Mr Nadal ... has access to his anti-doping records through
WADA's ADAMS database and is free to make them available," the governing
body said in a statement.
"The accuracy of any such release would be verified by the ITF.”
Failed drug tests in elite tennis are rare but doping has
been in the spotlight since former women's world number one Maria
Sharapova announced last month she had returned a positive test for
banned substance meldonium.
(Writing by Ian Ransom; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
- Reuters
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