James Blake Insists Performance Enhancing Drugs Is Still A Major Problem

Written by: Staff on 19th October 2012

James Blake Insists Performance Enhancing Drugs Is Still A Major Problem

epa03379568 James Blake of the US hits a return to Milos Raonic of Canada during their match on the sixth day of the 2012 US Open Tennis Championship at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 01 September 2012. The US Open runs through Sunday 09 September 2012. EPA/JUSTIN LANE |

James Blake has long been regarded as one of the most erudite and intelligent of professional tennis players. So when the former U,S. Davis Cup player and world no.4 insists tennis doping is still a major issue in the sport, it is time for the powers that be to take notice.

Speaking to USA Today, Blake insisted there are many players on the tours who are still resorting to performance enhancing drugs that are banned but remain undetected.

“In tennis I’m sure there are guys who are doing it, getting away with it, and getting ahead of the testers,” said 32 year-old Blake. “But I also am realistic with this much money involved, $1.9 million for the winner of the US Open, people will try to find a way to get ahead.

“It’s unfortunate, but I hope tennis is doing the best job of trying to catch those guys trying to beat the system.”

Just a few days earlier former French Open champion Yannick Noah said he believed the doping issue in tennis was more widespread than he had originally feared.

“I understand that many people are trying to play nice but are paying dearly for it,” said Noah who last year controversially infuriated Rafael Nadal amongst others by insinuating Spanish players across many sports were using performance enhancing drugs.

“Look what happened in cycling with Lance Armstrong. It took ten years to find something that everyone already knew long ago. This is very sad.”

Dick Pound, the former chairman of WADA (the World Anti Doping Agency) has stressed that drug-cheats are becoming harder to catch in all sports because of the widespread use of a micro-dosage program where athletes can get banned substances out of their system within six to eight hours.

And while International Tennis Federation president Francesco Ricci Bitti insists tennis’ anti-doping program is one of the “leaders” in pro sports, the body’s Head of Science and Technology said: “To think there is no doping in tennis is naïve.

“However at the other end of the spectrum, is it reasonable to assume that doping is endemic within tennis? We have no evidence.”

USA Today reported that the ITF’s anti-doping budget is about $1.6 million and between 2008 and 2011 there were 2,000 drug tests carried out annually, both in and out of competition. However in 2011, there were only 21 out-of-competition blood tests.“If we had more resources then we’d like to do more,” said Miller.”It’s clear that other sports are able to do more testing through whatever funding mechanisms they have.”

©Daily Tennis News Wire