2024 US Open men’s doubles champion Max Purcell has admitted violating anti-doping rules and has been provisionally suspended from tennis while the investigation continues.
Purcell has been suspended since December 12, after he made the confession and requested a provisional suspension on December 10. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) confirmed the suspension on December 23, saying the Australian, 26, had breached rules regarding the use of a ‘prohibited method’, rather than a positive test for a banned substance.
Purcell said in a statement on Instagram: “I have voluntarily accepted a provisional suspension because I unknowingly received an IV infusion of vitamins in excess of the permitted limit of 100 ml. Until I received medical records from a clinic last week showing that the amount of infusion I was receiving was more than 100ml, I was completely convinced that I had done everything I could to ensure I complied with WADA regulations and methods had been followed.
“But the records show that the infusion exceeded the 100 ml limit, even though I told the clinic that I was a professional athlete and that the infusion should be less than 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 infused/injected substance is on the Prohibited List.”
A ‘prohibited method’ falls under three possible definitions in the WADA Code: blood manipulation, commonly known as blood doping; chemical and physical manipulation, which extends to all forms of manipulation or manipulation of blood or urine samples and also includes intravenous infusions; and gene and cell doping. Purcell’s offense falls under chemical and physical manipulation.
The ITIA has not yet commented on the details of Purcell’s violation.
Because the suspension is temporary, it is unclear how much tennis Purcell will miss, but that time will be credited against any eventual sanctions when the investigation into his case is completed. He was absent from the Australian Open singles wildcard list despite being ranked 105th in the world, just outside the cut-off for entry into the main draw.
The entry lists for the doubles have not yet been released, but Purcell, who won the US Open title with compatriot Jordan Thompson in September and is ranked 12th in the world in doubles, was in line to enter his home major. Purcell also won the 2022 Wimbledon men’s title with Matt Ebden, another Australian.
Purcell is the third major champion in 2024 to be charged with an anti-doping violation. Defending Australian Open champion and world number 1 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 outcome of a WADA appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which could impose a ban of up to two years on him.
French Open champion Iga Swiatek, who tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ) in August, was given a one-month suspension. 22 days of that ban fell under her provisional suspension, causing her to miss three tournaments. Swiatek was deemed not to have committed a significant error.
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