2024 US Open men's doubles champion Max Purcell has admitted an anti-doping rule violation and has been provisionally suspended from tennis pending an investigation.
Purcell has been suspended since December 12 after making the admission and requesting an interim suspension on December 10. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) confirmed the suspension on December 23, saying the 26-year-old Australian had broken rules regarding using a “prohibited method” and never any positive test for a banned substance.
Purcell said in a press release on Instagram: “I voluntarily accepted an interim suspension as I unknowingly received an intravenous infusion of vitamins above the permissible limit of 100ml.” Until I received medical documentation from a clinic last week showing that , that the quantity of infusion given to me was over 100ml, I used to be fully confident that I had done the whole lot possible to be certain that I had followed WADA regulations and methods.
“But the records show that the infusion was over the 100 ml limit, even though I told the clinic that I am a professional athlete and require an infusion under 100 ml.”
According to the World Anti-Doping Authority (WADA), “Infusions or injections of 100 ml or less within a 12-hour period are permitted unless the substance infused/injected is on the prohibited list.”
A “prohibited method” falls under three possible definitions within the WADA Code: blood manipulation, commonly known as blood doping; chemical and physical manipulation, which extends to all types of manipulation or manipulation of blood or urine samples and likewise includes intravenous infusions; and gene and cell doping. Purcell's violation falls under chemical and physical manipulation.
The ITIA has not yet commented on the small print of Purcell's breach.
Because the suspension is temporary, it’s unclear how much tennis Purcell will miss, but that point will count toward a final sanction when the investigation into his case is complete. He was missing from the Australian Open singles wildcard list despite being ranked one hundred and fifth on this planet, just outside the entry deadline for the fundamental draw.
Entry lists for the doubles haven’t yet been released, but Purcell, who won the US Open title in September with compatriot Jordan Thompson and is ranked twelfth on this planet in doubles, was near participating in his home major. Purcell also won the Wimbledon men's title in 2022 alongside Matt Ebden, one other Australian.
Purcell is the third major champion in 2024 to be charged with an anti-doping violation. Reigning Australian Open champion and world primary Jannik Sinner, who tested positive twice for the banned substance Clostebol in March, was found not guilty by three independent tribunals convened by the ITIA. Sinner, who also won the US Open title, is awaiting the final result of an appeal by WADA to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which could lead to a ban of as much as two years.
French Open champion Iga Swiatek, who tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ) in August, served a one-month ban. 22 days of that suspension were covered by her interim suspension, causing her to miss three tournaments. It was determined that Swiatek was not at fault.
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