Jenson Brooksby, a promising and rising American tennis star who reached the top 30 of the ATP rankings last year, has found himself in a dire situation. The 22-year-old had a good 2021 season but really broke through to the top in 2022 when he reached the latter stages of multiple Masters 1000 tournaments and defeated the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas in the process.
Now, with the International Tennis Integrity Authority (ITIA) keeping a sharp eye on any doping-related violations as seen by its suspension of Simona Halep, Jenson Brooksby has found himself in unwanted water by breaking the code of conduct set by the authority.
Jenson Brooksby suspended for 18 months
Jenson Brooksby was suspended for 18 months from playing tennis by an independent tribunal, the ITIA said on Tuesday. The report stated that the Americans had committed three whereabouts failures in a 12-month period.
Jenson had previously accepted a voluntary provisional suspension and his sanction is set to be backdated to July 5. This means he will be allowed to set foot on the professional circuit only on January 4, 2025, when his sanctions end.
Brooksby had previously claimed that he had never failed a drug test or taken ‘bad substances’ but his problems with the doping tests provided by tennis authorities meant he was penalized by the ITIA.
âThe whereabouts program is a vital tool in maintaining a clean sport,â ITIA CEO Karen Moorhouse said in a statement. âNo one wants players to fall foul of the rules in this way.â
Explaining whereabouts failure
Doping tests in tennis are a widely performed activity. Despite its hard-hitting and strict rules, many top players, including Maria Sharapova and Simona Halep, have failed the tests. As part of its tests, a player has to provide information on his daily activity to authorities for the whole year. This information is known as “whereabouts”.
Failure to provide this information is tantamount to failing a doping test and carries severe consequences. The official ITIA website states that ‘Complying with whereabouts requirements is crucial. Three non-compliancesâfiling failures or missed testsâwithin a 12-month period may constitute an anti-doping rule violation (ADRV).’
In the case of Jenson Brooksby, he missed three tests in a 12-month period. While ITIA accepted the reasons for the first and third tests, the reason for missing the second was disputed. Hence, he was awarded the ban. Brooksby was given 21 days to appeal against the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
What are your opinions on the whereabouts failure rule? Should players be given more freedom? Let us know in the comments section below.
