Dopes

Seriously, ITF, go home, you're drunk.

If you have been under a tennis rock, The International Tennis Federation has suspended Serbian ATPer Viktor Troicki 18 months for violating their substance abuse policy (See the official case summary here). On April 15 of this year, a Doping Control Officer (DCO) showed up during the Monte Carlo Masters to take blood and urine samples from Troicki (who was selected at random). Here is where everything gets murky.

Troicki, who has a documented fear of needles, claims that he was very sick that day and would prefer not to give a blood sample that day, rather the day after. According to Troicki, the DCO concurred and just took a urine sample from him on that day and collected the blood sample the following day. Both samples came back clean. However, the ITF found that the DCO did not, and could not, assure him that it would be okay to take the blood sample the next day. There are rules that state that the DCO must make clear the implications of skipping a test, especially in matters involving language issues. Per Troicki's and the ITF's statements, however, it doesn't look like that clearly was the case. Once again, tennis finds itself lost in translation.

I am not trying to say that Troicki is completely innocent and does not deserve to get punished in some form. He's been a pro for awhile and should know that there can be repercussions for missing a test. But did he really "miss" it? The DCO came back the next day when Troicki felt better to administer the blood test. The same DCO who said he should be fine by writing a letter to the ITF about the delayed sample. The same ITF which rules state that those randomly selected should be tested that very day. The same ITF who sent the DCO to begin with. This screams "disconnect".

Shouldn't there be a case of extenuating circumstances, knowing that Troicki was sick, knowing that he has a phobia of needles, knowing that there was an exchange between the DCO and Troicki regarding delaying the test one day, and knowing that he was clean on both his urine and blood samples, although administered on different days? An 18-month ban with the sheer quantity of factors for the delayed blood test is beyond harsh. Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers, who basically failed his PEDs test TWICE, has only been suspended for basically less than three months. And he's being paid so much more money than any tennis player on any given year. While this says more about the MLB's very lax penalties, the ITF needs to consider the facts and the implications when they suspend a player for that long.

With PEDs becoming a major topic of sports in the U.S. this summer, even more so now that tennis may be linked to Biogenesis, it's difficult to completely stand behind any athlete and say that he is definitely clean (looking at you, Aaron Rodgers). Still, it's harsh that there are such career-changing implications that come from a break in communication.

What say you? Is the ITF too harsh? Think Troicki deserves what he got? Leave a comment and a urine sample.

Actually, don't leave a urine sample. That's gross.