The International Tennis Integrity Agency has confirmed that a Russian tennis player has been provisionally suspended. Aleksei Mokrov received a pre-charge notice of an Anti-Doping Rule Violation after an in-competition sample he provided was found to contain a prohibited substance.
Mokrov, who is 20 years old, received a mandatory provisional suspension which has been in effect since January 27. To date, the Russian player has not appealed his provisional suspension.
The ITIA said Mokrov, who reached a career-high ranking of No. 1413 this month, provided an in-competition test sample on November 26, 2024 while playing in an ITF event in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
The sample was split into A and B samples, and both of these were found to contain metabolites of Nandrolone, a prohibited anabolic agent.
Because Nandrolone is a non-specified substance, and Mokrov did not possess a valid TUE for the substance, he was automatically given a provisional suspension.
This started on January 27, when Mokrov was sent a pre-charge notice relating to the anti-doping rule violation.
While suspended, the 20-year-old cannot play in, coach, or attend any tennis tournament sanctioned by national associations and official bodies, including the ATP, WTA, ITF, Tennis Australia, the French Tennis Federation, Wimbledon, and the USTA.
Mokrov has not played a match since December, when he got into another ITF event in Sharm El Sheikh as a qualifier and lost in the second round.
News of Mokrov’s provisional suspension comes days after the ITIA confirmed that two-time doubles Grand Slam champion Max Purcell had accepted an 18-month ban for an unrelated charge.
The former doubles world No. 8 accepted a provisional suspension earlier this year in relation to using a prohibited method. He did not fail a doping test.
On Tuesday, the ITIA said Purcell admitted to breaching the tennis anti-doping programme by receiving intravenous infusions of over 500mL on December 16 and 20, 2023. The limit under the World Anti-Doping Code and TADP is 100mL in a 12-hour period.
By co-operating with the ITIA and sharing information, Purcell’s sanction was reduced by 25 per cent.
The time Purcell served during his voluntary provisional suspension has been credited in his 18-month ban, and he can return on June 11, 2026.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk