Stars speak their mind on doping in tennis
Source: Agencies |
January 19, 2013, Saturday
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NOVAK Djokovic has slammed Lance Armstrong's long-delayed doping admissions, saying the seven-time Tour de France winner is a disgrace to cycling and "should suffer for his lies."
"I think it's a disgrace for the sport to have an athlete like this," Djokovic said. "It would be ridiculous for him to decline and refuse all the charges because it has been proven. He cheated many people around the world with his career, with his life story."
Djokovic said he supported the International Tennis Federation's current program.
"At least from my perspective, it's really good," he said, outlining the current regime where tennis players have to give anti-doping authorities details of their whereabouts each day, in case they're required for out-of-competition testing.
"It gives them an opportunity to test you. And you know it is the same for the other players," he said. "At least from that point of view it's fair. And I have nothing against the anti-doping federation, association, testing me 10, 20, 30 times a year."
Blood tests
Asked to respond that ITF records showed that only 18 blood tests were taken of the top players in 2011, Djokovic said: "Yeah, I wasn't tested with blood for last six, seven months ... It was more regular ... two, three years ago. I don't know the reason why they stopped it."
Frenchman Julien Benneteau said there was enough drug testing in tennis, but "if there were more, that would be better."
"I'm tested about 10-15 times a year," the No. 32-seeded Benneteau said. "More controls. More blood testing, we don't have much of that."
"We can't be naive. No sport is sheltered from it," he said. "In tennis it's not just physical. It's technical and mental. But we still need to stay vigilant."
US Open champion Andy Murray said players simply trained hard to be fit for their sport.
"Anyone can see the amount of hours of training and practice that go into what we do and there are other sports that, endurance-wise, are far more challenging than tennis," Murray told British media. "No, the guys can't just play five or six hours and then come back the next day and run around like rabbits. When guys play five or six hours in the slams like we often do, we have a day's rest.
"I think it's a disgrace for the sport to have an athlete like this," Djokovic said. "It would be ridiculous for him to decline and refuse all the charges because it has been proven. He cheated many people around the world with his career, with his life story."
Djokovic said he supported the International Tennis Federation's current program.
"At least from my perspective, it's really good," he said, outlining the current regime where tennis players have to give anti-doping authorities details of their whereabouts each day, in case they're required for out-of-competition testing.
"It gives them an opportunity to test you. And you know it is the same for the other players," he said. "At least from that point of view it's fair. And I have nothing against the anti-doping federation, association, testing me 10, 20, 30 times a year."
Blood tests
Asked to respond that ITF records showed that only 18 blood tests were taken of the top players in 2011, Djokovic said: "Yeah, I wasn't tested with blood for last six, seven months ... It was more regular ... two, three years ago. I don't know the reason why they stopped it."
Frenchman Julien Benneteau said there was enough drug testing in tennis, but "if there were more, that would be better."
"I'm tested about 10-15 times a year," the No. 32-seeded Benneteau said. "More controls. More blood testing, we don't have much of that."
"We can't be naive. No sport is sheltered from it," he said. "In tennis it's not just physical. It's technical and mental. But we still need to stay vigilant."
US Open champion Andy Murray said players simply trained hard to be fit for their sport.
"Anyone can see the amount of hours of training and practice that go into what we do and there are other sports that, endurance-wise, are far more challenging than tennis," Murray told British media. "No, the guys can't just play five or six hours and then come back the next day and run around like rabbits. When guys play five or six hours in the slams like we often do, we have a day's rest.
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