Chilean Nicolas Jarry, 78e World Cup was suspended for doping after a Davis Cup test in November 2019 that tested positive for anabolics, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) announced on Tuesday (January 14th).
"Nicolas Jarry, 24, has been provisionally suspended" pending a final decision to be made after a full investigation, the ITF said in a statement, adding that the player had been notified on January 4 of the positive test and that he "Had not, to date, exercised his right to appeal this temporary suspension".
The urine sample he provided on November 19 at the Davis Cup in Madrid was found to contain "Ligandrol and stanozolol metabolites", two anabolic agents, the ITF said.
Positive tests for these substances imply an immediate provisional suspension, added the body, which does not specify when its final decision on the sanction will be issued. Jarry faces up to four years of suspension.
"I have never voluntarily or knowingly taken a prohibited substance in my career", replied on his Instagram account the player who won his first title on the clay of Bastad in 2019.
Robert Farah accuses Colombian meat
"The levels of these substances (found in his urine) are so low that none could have had an effect on improving my game or performance ", he assured by promising the ITF its "Full cooperation" in order to demonstrate his innocence.
Jarry’s suspension came on the same day as the Colombian’s Robert Farah, number one in the world doubles rankings, was announced with compatriot Juan Sebastian Cabal.
"The ITF informed me of the presence of boldenone (an anabolic) during a test carried out on October 17, 2019 in Cali (in Colombia), "Farah wrote in a statement posted on social media.
The 32-year-old tennis player, winner with Juan Sebastian Cabal of the last two Grand Slam tournaments of 2019 (Wimbledon and the US Open), attributed the positive test to the consumption of Colombian meat contaminated by this substance, often used to stimulate the growth of beef and prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
"I'm sure that's what generated the test result in question," he said, declaring that he had tested negative two weeks earlier during a Shanghai test, as well as during the fifteen random tests he said he underwent in 2019.
In 2018, the Colombian Olympic Committee (COC) alerted national athletes to the presence of boldenone in the country's cattle. Boldenone is sold freely in Colombia by veterinary prescription and, according to a study by the Colombian Agricultural Institute, it is found in one in four beef samples.
Robert Farah has been provisionally suspended and also faces up to four years of suspension.
