Tennis champion Max Purcell has accepted a provisional suspension for a breach of the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency announced the news on Monday, confirming that the ban came into effect on December 12. Purcell later addressed the news in a statement, confirming that he “volunteered” information of his breach to the ITIA.
It means, at this stage, the 26-year-old will not be able to compete in his home Grand Slam tournament, the upcoming Australian Open.
The ITIA said Purcell had admitted to a breaching article 2.2 of the TADP “relating to the use of a Prohibited Method”. He requested to enter into a provisional suspension on December 10 and this started two days later.
Any time served under the provisional suspension will count towards any future sanctions. However, the ITIA did not say how long the current ban would last for.
The body will not offer any further comment while the matter is ongoing. While he is suspended, Purcell is “prohibited from playing in, coaching at, or attending any tennis event authorised or sanctioned by the members of the ITIA (ATP, ITF, WTA, Tennis Australia, French Tennis Federation, Wimbledon and USTA) or any national association.”
In a statement, Purcell confirmed he had breached the TADP by unknowingly receiving an “IV infusion of vitamins” which was above the allowed limit. He then voluntarily shared this information with the ITIA.
The world No. 12 wrote: “As announced by the ITIA today, I have voluntarily accepted a provisional suspension since I unknowingly received an IV infusion of vitamins above the allowable limit of 100 ml.
“Until last week when I received medical records from a clinic showing that the amount of an IV I had received was above 100 ml, I was fully convinced that I had done everything to ensure that I had followed the WADA regulations and methods. But the records show that the IV was over that 100m1 limit, even though I told the medical clinic that I was a professional athlete and needed the IV to be below 100 ml.
“This news was devastating to me because I pride myself on being an athlete who always makes sure that everything is WADA safe. I volunteered this information to the ITIA and have been as transparent as possible in trying to put this whole situation behind me. I look forward to being back on the court soon.”
At present, Purcell will be forced to miss the Australian summer of tennis in January. He did not appear on the entry list for the singles event at the Australian Open.
With a ranking of No. 105, he just missed the main draw cut-off. Purcell did not receive a wildcard or appear on the qualifying list. Purcell and the ITIA have not confirmed whether this is due to his provisional suspension.
He would have been expected to play doubles alongside his partner Jordan Thompson, with whom he lifted the US Open title this year. Purcell also won Wimbledon with Matt Ebden in 2022. He has finished runner-up at the Australian Open doubles event twice with different partners in 2020 and 2022.
