A Spanish tennis classic like Fernando Verdasco has accepted a two-month suspension for an involuntary infringement against anti-doping regulations. He forgot to renew the receipt to consume a prohibited substance, methylphenidate, which was prescribed to treat attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity (ADHD). The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said on Wednesday.
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According to the ITIA, the substance appeared in Verdasco's urine from the player which he underwent in February at the ATP Challenger in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). "The player admitted the anti-doping rule violation and explained that he had been diagnosed with ADHD and that he had legitimately used methylphenidate, as a prescribed medication to treat the condition, in accordance with a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE)." Said the Agency.
Meanwhile, Fernando Verdasco, 38, forgot to renew the Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) when it expired. In fact, since then the World Anti-Doping Agency and ITIA renewed it again without objection, after making the necessary checks. "The ITIA accepts that the player did not intend to cheat, that his violation was inadvertent and unintentional," said the statement.
However, in these circumstances, the penalty that would be applicable for the use of doping substances is reduced from two years to two months. The period of ineligibility began on the date of the player's voluntary provisional suspension. And it will end on January 8, 2023. Methylphenidate is a psychostimulant approved for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
It added that the 2009 Australian Open semi-finalist has since been granted a new TUE by World Anti-Doping Agency WADA.