Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Tennis is one of the world’s cleanest sports in terms of drug abuse — if not the cleanest, Andre Agassi said on Tuesday. The spotlight in Sydney has been on Greg Rusedski after the Briton’s admission last week that he had tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone.
But Agassi, one of the biggest names in sport, told reporters ahead of an invitational tournament in Kooyong that he is convinced tennis does not have a problem with the issue. ‘‘Well, one of the things we can say for sure is our sport is the leading, if not the top, sport in drug testing in both its intensity as far as what they test for. It’s a very extensive list, probably more extensive than any other sport, and how often they test.’’
About his own experience with testing, Agassi said, ‘‘Last year I played 13 tournaments. I was tested (via a) urine sample 11 times, I was tested (via a) blood sample eight times, which includes three out of competition testings. It’s not possible to get more aggressive with the goal of maintaining the integrity of our sport.’’
Rusedski last week admitted he tested positive during the RCA Championships in Indianapolis last July but said he would be cleared of any wrong doing at a hearing in February. World No.4 Agassi applauded Rusedski and the ATP’s efforts to get to the bottom of the issue.
‘‘We need to get to the bottom of something that’s crucial to our integrity and that’s going to require everybody accepting responsibility and it’s going to require keeping useless and irresponsible quotes out of the headlines. I can’t speak for his (Rusedski’s) situation because I don’t know it. Again, I think that the right thing to do for Greg, as well as the governing bodies, is to be responsible and diligent in their efforts to get to the bottom of it.’’
