Gasquet confident before doping ban appeal

Richard Gasquet is confident the CAS will accept he took cocaine inadvertently when they rule on an appeal against a decision allowing him to return from a doping ban.

Paris: Richard Gasquet is confident the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will accept he took cocaine inadvertently when they rule on an appeal against a decision allowing him to return from a doping ban, his agent said on Friday.

CAS confirmed in a statement on Friday the International Tennis Federation (ITF), jointly with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), had appealed against the decision allowing the French player to return to the international circuit. “Richard Gasquet has noted the appeal by the ITF and is convinced the Court of Arbitration for Sport will confirm he did not deliberately take cocaine,” his agent, Nicolas Lamperin, said in a statement.Gasquet, 23, was provisionally suspended in May after a sample he had provided in March in Miami tested positive for benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine. In July, an independent tribunal set up under the tennis anti-doping programme found him guilty but ruled he had been inadvertently contaminated in a nightclub. He was banned for two months and 15 days, backdated to May 1. The tribunal ruled his results, ranking points and prize money from subsequent events would stand. The French Tennis Federation (FFT) said on Friday it was “surprised” by the ITF decision to appeal the tribunal’s ruling. “Balanced Verdict” “The FFT is totally respectful of the world anti-doping code and of tennis rules but nevertheless wishes to restate that it had appreciated the will of the tribunal to pronounce a balanced verdict, which has meant Richard Gasquet could not compete for three months and had to miss two of the four grand slam tournaments,” the French federation said in a statement. Gasquet is training and still plans to return later this month at a tournament in New Haven, Connecticut, his agent said. “The appeal does not ban athletes from competing,” Lamperin said. “Therefore, while waiting for the new hearing, Richard will continue to prepare for his return to competition in the next few weeks.” No date has been set for the hearing. CAS said a final decision would be made within four months. Gasquet, who is ranked 37th in the world, has always maintained his innocence and said he had a hair sample tested by an independent laboratory which showed no trace of cocaine. The Frenchman is not the first tennis player to fail a test for the recreational drug. Former women’s world number one Martina Hingis tested positive for the banned substance in 2007 and promptly announced her retirement from the sport, saying she had “no desire to spend the next several years of (her) life reduced to fighting against the doping officials”. Former men’s world number one Mats Wilander of Sweden was suspended for three months for cocaine use along with doubles partner Karel Novacek at the 1995 French Open. Bureau Report