(Provided by Tennis World USA)
Casper Ruud sent strong support to suspended Swede Mikael Ymer, saying random doping tests are making players feel like “prisoners” in some way. This week, world No 51 Ymer received an 18-month suspension from tennis after missing three doping tests in 12 months.
In his statement, Ymer revealed that he appealed the allegation and that he was cleared by an independent tribunal. But then, the ITF appealed that ruling and now Ymer is being suspended for the next year and a half. Also in his statement, Ymer also claimed that he “never used banned substances” and that “I do not believe I broke the rules.”
Ruud comes to Ymer’s support
“It feels like you are a prisoner in a way because if you are not there when they show up then you have problems, Let’s say you have to be home between 9-10pm one evening.
Then a friend calls and asks if we should go out to dinner. Then you can’t do it because you have to be at home that hour in case the doping inspectors come. Mikael has made a mistake, but I know from my own experience that you can miss that hour some day and then they call and say: ‘You have five minutes to come here or you will get a warning,’ and it can feel like someone checks one.
It’s tough but those are the rules. What was surprising was that he was acquitted, but that the union appealed. It is surprising. I thought the federation would help players, not try to punish them. This shows that they are not helping the players, in this case.
Without the players, there is no tournament. They should show that they want to help the players,” Ruud said, via SVT. This is not the first suspension of this nature that has happened in recent times. Earlier this month, former world No 33 Jenson Brooksby announced that he accepted a provisional suspension after allegedly missing three doping tests in a year. But just like Ymer, Brooksby also doesn’t feel guilty and he plans to appeal the decision to suspend him.
