Casper Ruud has been playing on the professional tour for eight years. He has been understanding each aspect of the game. Ruud understands there is so much more to the game than performing on the court. He plays at the Paris Masters, where he spoke about the doping tests. Ruud also mentioned the case of Jenson Brooksby, who is serving a ban of eighteen months.
Ruud explained the plight of the players while undergoing dope tests. He spoke about getting up in the middle of the night to pee but avoiding it due to doping tests. Ruud said, “You’re kind of thinking, oh maybe they (doping control) come up at 7, so maybe I shouldn’t go because I want to save it.” He went on to say that the players cannot pee whenever they want during the doping tests.
Ruud understood what Brooksby was going through. The Norwegian player felt that the punishment for the American player was too much. Ruud’s reason was that the ban would affect Brooksby’s comeback on tour. Ruud has been one of the few players who have supported Brooksby during his difficult phase.
Jenson Brooksby was asked for doping test moments after getting banned
The doping incidents have been on the rise in the past few months. The validity of the anti-doping programs in tennis has been questioned. Brooksby revealed that he had to undergo a drug test hours after the ban was announced. The reason behind the doping test was unknown, as it did not hold any value after the ban. The Brit player said that the test affected his mental health.
Brooksby stated that he did not know who was behind the doping test. Incidents like these affect the players who need a support system and not doping tests. The 23-year-old has not given up the fight against the ban. Brooksby plans to appeal his ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
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The former world No.33 accepted that he was at fault for missing two of the tests. Brooksby pointed out the miscommunication from the doping officials which resulted in him missing the third drug test. The ATP needs to renovate the anti-doping programs on the tour to safeguard the future of all the players, especially the younger players.