Two-time Grand Slam doubles champion Max Purcell has voluntarily accepted a suspension for violating anti-doping rules, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced on Monday.
Purcell, currently ranked 12th in the world for doubles, admitted to breaching regulations related to the use of a “prohibited method” and requested a provisional suspension, which began on December 12. The ITIA did not provide further details about the nature of the breach.
“Time served under the provisional suspension will be credited against any future sanction,” the ITIA stated.
As part of the suspension, the 26-year-old Australian is barred from playing, coaching, or attending any tennis events sanctioned by the sport’s governing bodies or national associations. This means Purcell will be unable to compete in the upcoming Australian Open at Melbourne Park in January.
Purcell, who won the 2022 Wimbledon doubles title with fellow Australian Matt Ebden and this year’s US Open doubles title with Jordan Thompson, is facing the suspension amid ongoing investigations.
Tennis Australia clarified that the breach relates to a “prohibited method,” not a banned substance. “The International Tennis Integrity Agency confirmed that the violation concerns the use of a prohibited method, rather than the presence of a prohibited substance,” Tennis Australia said in a statement, adding that further comment would be inappropriate while the matter is under investigation.
The ITIA is also the organization that recently charged top-ranked Jannik Sinner and world number two Iga Świątek for breaches of its anti-doping program.
Sinner was exonerated after testing positive for traces of the steroid clostebol in March, and he is currently awaiting the outcome of a World Anti-Doping Agency appeal against that decision. Świątek, who tested positive for a banned heart medication in August, was sanctioned with a one-month suspension after the ITIA determined the violation was not intentional.
Both Sinner and Świątek are expected to compete in the Australian Open, which begins on January 12.
AFP
