Sports & Fitness

Yastremska cleared to play after doping ban squashed

Ukrainian tennis player Dayana Yastremska was on Tuesday cleared of doping after a failed test last November that ruled her out of the Australian Open.

Updated 5 years ago · Published on 23 Jun 2021 3:45PM

Yastremska cleared to play after doping ban squashed
Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska plays a backhand to Romania's Simona Halep during their round 3 match on day five of the Women's Italian Open. - AFP pic, 23 June, 2021

PARIS - The 21-year-old, ranked 29 in the world at the end of 2020, received an initial ban after testing positive for a banned anabolic agent, mesterolone metabolite, used in male infertility treatment.

Ukrainian tennis player Dayana Yastremska first appealed to the International Tennis Federation (ITF)'s independent tribunal which upheld her ban on January 23.

Following a secondary hearing, the tribunal said on Tuesday that it "accepted Ms. Yastremska's account of how the mesterolone entered her system and determined that she bore no fault or negligence for the violation".

Yastremska's provisional suspension was lifted with immediate effect, and "she will not serve any period of ineligibility for her violation", the ITF said.

Yastremska posted on Twitter that she was "glad and relieved" to have been "cleared of any wrongdoing".

"The Tribunal accepted that the positive test was caused by contamination," Yastremska said in a statement.

"I've been through a lot during the last six months and it has been difficult to cope with all the negative comments."

The decision is subject to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the Ukrainian anti-doping agency.

Yastremska has won three WTA titles in her career, with her best Grand Slam performance a run to the fourth round at Wimbledon in 2019.

"I look forward to getting back to my passion -- tennis," she said. 

"It has been taken away from me for too long, I can't wait to get back on tour." - AFP, 23 June, 2021

Spotlight

Malaysia

Elderly man admits to hitting neighbour with iron rod

Malaysia

Body found at KLIA2 in tyre storage compartment of aircraft from Japan

Malaysia

Factory operator faces rape, unnatural sex charges involving polytechnic student

Malaysia

Ismail Sabri granted RM300k bail after pleading not guilty to asset declaration charge

By Alfian Z.M. Tahir

Malaysia

Sunway Lagoon ride halted as safety probe seeks to protect public - DOSH

Malaysia

Malaysia ready to deploy military expertise for Nepal flood relief, says Defence Minister

Malaysia

Violence in Thailand: Visitors drop by almost 50 per cent

By Ian McIntyre

You may be interested

Sports & Fitness

Global cricket legends urge Pakistan to honour court order on Imran Khan’s medical care