Indian Wells: Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal has hit back at a claim that he faked an injury in 2012 to cover up a failed drugs test.
The 14-time major winner said it was unfathomable that someone would accuse him of using a false injury to try and escape the wrath of the tennis’ anti-doping officials.
“Me?,” he asked. “You can ask the ITF (International Tennis Federation), you can ask Wada (World Anti-Doping Agency), you can ask everybody.”
Nadal has never failed a drug test in his many years on the ATP Tour and has always vehemently denied ever using a banned substance.
“I never did and I will never do and I don’t want to talk about that again,” he said on Saturday night after his doubles loss to the Americans Bob and Mike Bryan at the hardcourt tournament at Indian Wells.
Roselyne Bachelot, France’s sports minister between 2007 and 2010, claimed that Nadal had faked an injury in 2012, when he missed the final six months of the season due to knee problems, to hide a positive drug test.
Nadal said he wants “justice” - his name cleared and for people to stop pointing fingers at him.
“I have been working so hard during the whole of my career to have the success that I have and now is the moment to do justice. I am tired of that and I want justice,” Nadal said.
Meanwhile, tennis great John McEnroe finds it hard to believe that Maria Sharapova was unaware she was taking a banned drug that led to her suspension, the seven-times grand slam champion said on Saturday.
The player-turned-commentator weighed in on the recent news that Sharapova tested positive for a newly banned drug meldonium that went into effect on January 1.
“Would be hard to believe that no one in her camp, the 25 or 30 people that work for her, or Maria herself had no idea that this happened,” McEnroe told the Tennis Channel Saturday during the BNP Paribas Open.
McEnroe noted that at the 1990 Australian Open, he was ejected from a match after he did not realize a rule change that reduced a player’s default from four steps to just three. “Nobody told me, so it is possible that Maria did not know that, though it’s extremely doubtful,” he said.
Sharapova, 28, is facing a suspension of up to four years by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and has already lost numerous sponsorships in the aftermath.
McEnroe joked that Sharapova should only be banned for two years because she says she did it unknowingly.
“Lift the ban, there’s no suspension if when she comes back she promises not to grunt,” McEnroe added in jest. “If you don’t grunt Maria, no suspension. If you continue to grunt, two years.”
