US Open champion reveals ‘devastating’ provisional doping suspension
US Open doubles champion Max Purcell has been provisionally suspended for breaching anti-doping rules, with the Australian releasing a statement explaining the situation.
Purcell was announced to have been suspended by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), confirming that the ban came into effect on Thursday 12th December.
The ITIA revealed that Purcell admitted breaching article 2.2 of the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme on 10th December, ‘relating to the use of a prohibited method, with any time served under the provisional suspension counting towards future sanctions.
Australian tennis player Max Purcell has elected to enter into a provisional suspension under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme.
— International Tennis Integrity Agency (@itia_tennis) December 23, 2024
This breach comes after Purcell claims to have ‘unknowingly received’ an intravenous (IV) infusion of vitamins that was above the 100ml limit allowed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
Purcell explained the situation in detail in a post on Instagram, with the 26-year-old opening up about why he admitted the breach to the ITIA.
“As announced by the ITIA today, I have voluntarily accepted a provisional suspension since I unknowingly received an IV infusion of vitamins above the allowable limit of 100 ml,” said Purcell.
He continued, “Until last week when I received medical records from a clinic showing that the amount of an IV I had received was above 100 ml, I was fully convinced that I had done everything to ensure that I had followed the WADA regulations and methods. But the records show that the IV was over that 100ml limit, even though I told the medical clinic that I was a professional athlete and needed the IV to be below 100 ml.
“This news was devastating to me because I pride myself on being an athlete who always makes sure that everything is WADA safe. I volunteered this information to the ITIA and have been as transparent as possible in trying to put this whole situation behind me. I look forward to being back on the court soon.”
View this post on Instagram
Purcell is the current US Open doubles champion and a former Wimbledon doubles winner, with a career-high singles ranking of World No.40 that he achieved back in 2023.
It is currently unclear as to how long this suspension will be, but during his ban Purcell is ‘prohibited from playing in, coaching at, or attending any tennis event authorised or sanctioned by the members of the ITIA (ATP, ITF, WTA, Tennis Australia, French Tennis Federation, Wimbledon and USTA) or any national association’.
Inside the baseline…
Although Max Purcell is not the same calibre of player as Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek, it feels as though there have been a lot of big doping cases this year. It seems as though this is a complete mistake in Purcell’s case, and it is very commendable that he came forward himself to admit the breach rather than burying his head in the sand. What will be so devastating for Purcell is that it is now very possible that he will miss the opening part of the 2025 season in his home country of Australia.
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