Robert Kendrick banned for a year after testing positive for
banned substance – Tennis News
American Robert Kendrick has been banned for twelve months after testing positive for the methylhexaneamine, a performance enhancing drug banned in sports since 2010. Kendrick’s suspension announced on Friday is backdated to May
22nd, the day when he submitted his sample for testing; the International Tennis Federation’s (ITF) enactment thus bars him from returning to the courts until midnight May 21, 2012. Kendrick is currently in talks with his lawyers and is expected
to appeal against the ban and come out with a formal statement this Monday.
The 106th ranked player was tested in Paris at the Rolland Garros, following a first round loss at the French Open in four sets against Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. His sample had been sent to the WADA-accredited
facility in Montreal, Canada for testing and the results indicated presence of the illegal stimulant. Kendrick, however, maintains that the presence of the substance in his system had been the result of taking Zija XM3 tablets to fight jet lag. He adamantly
contends that he had not consumed them to enhance performance.
The ITF’s press release states, “The ITF accepted Mr Kendrick's account of the circumstances surrounding his ingestion of methylhexaneamine, and accepted that he did not intend to enhance his performance.” However, the controlling
body refuses to accept this as a justification. It states that it is ultimately the player’s responsibility to ensure that no banned substance enters his/her body, either as a prescribed medicine or otherwise, unless the player obtains a special exemption
from the association. Kendrick unfortunately had no such exemption.
Kendrick reached his career high No. 69 ranking in July 2009 but has failed to clinch even a single ATP title in his twelve year career. The player maintains a 4-9 win loss standing in the current season. Kendrick clocked in his
best performance during the current year at Memphis in February where he reached the quarterfinals before losing to Canadian Milos Raonic. His still inchoate season died a premature death in June by losing in a first round match against Dmitry Tursunov at
s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands.
The hapless player has never been able to get past the second round at any Grand Slam tournament. However, he came close to a major upset at Wimbledon in 2006. He stretched his second round match against the Spaniard giant Rafael
Nadal to 7-6(4), 6-3, 6-7(2), 5-7, 4-6, a little too out of Nadal’s comfort zone before the star regained composure and won.
The ITF press release concludes by stating, “The tribunal also determined that Mr Kendrick's results at the 2011 French Open should be disqualified, with resulting forfeiture of the ranking points and prize money that he won at
those events."
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