Grand Slam Events To Meet About Drug Testing

Written by: Staff on 28th February 2013

Grand Slam Events To Meet About Drug Testing

epa03587788 Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal serves the ball to Argentinian Martin Alund during the semifinal at the Brazil Tennis Open tournament in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 16 February 2013. Nadal won 6-3, 6-7 (2-7) and 6-1. EPA/Sebastião Moreira |

The four Grand Slams may be prepared to up the ante in the drug-testing campaign by doubling their contributions to the effort. London’s Daily Mail reports that the current relatively paltry annual budget of $1.3 million might soon be increased if all four majors agree to chip in from their vast profits.

While discreet Wimbledon officials would not – of course – confirm anything, the current tennis drug-test regime has been under fire recently, with top players including Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal all calling for more tests to insure the sport remains clean.

The Mail says that the funding issue will be discussed in a March meeting in New York. The current program conducted a reported 21 out-of-competition blood tests for the whole of 2011.

The report says that each of the four majors will add about $150,000 with hopes that the ATP and WTA will also take up the offer to increase their current contributions estimated at around $235,000 per annum. The ITF says that tennis drug testing in 2011 comprised 2,150 tests on players, mainly at tournaments and dealing specifically with urine.

©Daily Tennis News Wire

Topics: ATP tennis news, Grand Slam Tennis, ITF tennis news, London's Daily Mail, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Tennis drug testing, WTA tennis news