The 39-year-old Fernando Verdasco has been handed a ban of two months for doping after testing positive for a banned substance
Current world No. 125 was tested at an ATP Challenger event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in February. Verdasco has accepted a voluntary doping suspension as stated by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) on Wednesday.
The ITIA said in a statement that an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication – methylphenidate had been detected in a urine sample from the Spanish veteran. According to the statement from ITIA, the former world No. 7 accepted the breach and said that he had been diagnosed with ADHD and the methylphenidate was prescribed by his doctor but he forgot to renew his therapeutic use exemption for the drug.
The ITIA said that it “accepts that the player did not intend to cheat, that his violation was inadvertent and unintentional, and that he bears no significant fault or negligence for it.” Therefore, he wasn’t handed a two-year ban. Verdasco will be cleared to compete from January 8, 2023, onwards.
American tennis pro – Reilly Opelka has slammed Fernando Verdasco on Twitter for testing positive for a banned substance.
Opelka asked why people take Adderall for the first time in their life when they become adults. He also accused Verdasco of “legal doping”.
“One of the biggest issues in tennis.. why are guys taking adderall for the first time in their life as adults? Legal doping,” Opelka tweeted.”
The 25-year-old has received a lot of heat from the fans following this tweet. Fans have lashed out at the world No. 38 and accused him of a lack of knowledge on the issue.
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