Tennis player Goncalo Oliveira suspended over positive meth test

Tennis subordinate Gonzalo Oliveira has been provisionally suspended aft investigating affirmative for the banned substance methamphetamine.

The 29-year-old, who achieved a career-high ranking of satellite No.77 successful doubles 5 years ago, was tested connected November 25, 2024 portion playing astatine an ATP Challenger lawsuit successful Manzanillo, Mexico.

Oliveira, a Portuguese-born subordinate who represents Venezuela, has decided not to entreaty against the ban, with his mandatory suspension having taken effect connected January 17, 2025.

With a career-high ranking of satellite No.194 successful singles, Oliveira clinched his first-ever ATP Challenger Tour rubric successful Brazzaville conscionable 3 months ago.

Reacting to Oliveira’s provisional suspension, outspoken Australian prima Nick Kyrgios uploaded the taxable euphony from American TV bid Breaking Bad connected Instagram, a transgression play which follows a chemistry teacher turned cause kingpin who makes meth with 1 of his students.

Kyrgios’ societal media station included a drawstring of laughing and crying emojis and helium wrote: ‘Steroids are good but this is wild. Tennis satellite gone mad.’

Kyrgios has long been a professional of Italian satellite No.1 prima Jannik Sinner – who made headlines for failing 2 cause tests past twelvemonth – portion helium has besides publically criticised Iga Swiatek, who served a one-month prohibition successful 2024.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) confirmed Oliveira’s provisional suspension successful a connection connected Wednesday.

‘The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) contiguous confirms that Gonçalo Oliveira, a 29-year-old Portuguese-born tennis subordinate who presently represents Venezuela, has been provisionally suspended nether the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP),’ the ITIA said.

‘The ITIA sent the subordinate a pre-charge announcement of an Anti-Doping Rule Violation connected 17 January 2025 nether Article 2.1 of the TADP (presence of a Prohibited Substance successful a Player’s Sample) and/or Article 2.2 (Use of a Prohibited Substance without a valid Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE)).

‘Oliveira, who reached a career-high satellite doubles ranking of 77 successful August 2020, provided an in-competition illustration portion competing successful an ATP Challenger lawsuit successful Manzanillo, Mexico, connected 25 November 2024. 

‘The illustration was divided into A and B samples and the consequent investigation recovered that the A illustration contained metamfetamine, which is prohibited nether the TADP, successful the class of Stimulants (section S6.A of the 2024 World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List).  
 
‘Metamfetamine is simply a non-Specified Substance, and Oliveira did not person a valid TUE for the substance. Findings for non-Specified Substances transportation a mandatory provisional suspension – successful Oliveira’s case, this has been successful effect from 17 January 2025.

‘Players person the close to entreaty the imposition of their provisional suspension earlier an autarkic tribunal chair. Oliveira has not appealed. 

‘While provisionally suspended, Oliveira is prohibited from playing in, coaching at, oregon attending immoderate tennis lawsuit authorised oregon sanctioned by the members of the ITIA (ATP, ITF, WTA, Tennis Australia, Fédération Française de Tennis, Wimbledon and USTA) oregon immoderate nationalist association.   

‘The ITIA is an autarkic assemblage established by its tennis members to promote, encourage, enhance, and safeguard the integrity of their nonrecreational tennis events.’

In different tennis news, erstwhile satellite No.1 Simona Halep announced her status from the athletics this week.

The Romanian was handed a four-year prohibition successful September 2023 aft investigating affirmative for the banned substance Roxadustat – but it was aboriginal reduced to 9 months owed to a contaminated supplement.

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