Agassi defends tough stance on anti-doping

The controversy flared after British player Greg Rusedski revealed he faces a special ATP tribunal in Montreal next month after testing positive for the banned steroid nandrolone.

Rusedski said trace elements of the steroid were in an electrolyte drink given to him by ATP trainers and his dilemma has fueled fears among players that vitamins and other supplements taken routinely by top athletes could leave them open to charges of doping.

Asked about the debate, Agassi said he was confronted by the problem just before the Australian Open this week when needed to treat a rash on the back of his right hand.

“In order for me to put on a basic skin irritant cream, I had to fill out three pages of forms and get them faxed and sent and confirmed that it was okay for me to put cream on my hand,” he said.

“That’s the reality of the tennis player’s life,” he said.

“It’s so intense … The reality of how we have to live, of taking basic aspirins, by no means any sort of cold medication — none of it’s allowed, none of it’s tolerated. We’ve seen example after example.”

Spanish star Albert Costa, who is on the 10-member ATP tour council, said growing numbers of players were afraid to take anything other than plain mineral water to help them cope with the high temperatures and extreme conditions of modern-day tennis competitions.

“The players are all scared,” he said. “Everybody’s talking in the locker room: ‘Be careful with this, be careful with that’.”

“Right now you cannot even drink electrolytes, you cannot do anything,” he said. “I only take the drink I’ve been having for the past six years and I’ve stopped taking vitamin C, magnesium and other vitamin supplements.”

Costa and other players have suggested the ATP, rather than simply listing banned substances, set up a sort of “supermarket” list of approved products that players can use without fear.

This would notably help players avoid the trap of cross-contamination when normally harmless substances are tainted with trace elements of banned drugs in giant laboratories where multiple products are made.

Agassi backed the notion in theory.

“Ideally, you’d like to see players get supplied officially with the things that are sort of deemed okay,” he said.

But the 33-year-old veteran, one of the most respected players on the tour, quickly added that he would rather cope with the rigors of the current anti-doping policy than leave his sport open to potential drug cheats.