(Reuters) – Jenson Brooksby has accepted a provisional suspension from the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) after being accused of missing three anti-doping tests in a 12-month period but the American said he has denied the charge.
The 22-year-old has not competed since the Australian Open in January after undergoing two wrist surgeries. He reached the third round of the Grand Slam after knocking out second seed Casper Ruud.
“The provisional suspension is not an admission that I have done anything wrong; to the contrary, I have denied this charge and am waiting for an arbitration with an independent tribunal,” Brooksby said in a statement.
“I have never failed a drug test, and I have never taken any substances that I was not allowed to take. I have been tested numerous times, including three times after surgery in March 2023.”
Reuters has contacted the ITIA for comment.
Brooksby said one of the alleged missed tests occurred two days before the ATP 250 in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands, in June last year.
“At the time of that test attempt, I was at the official tournament hotel where I said I would be, and in my hotel room, and the time that I had said I would be there,” he added.
(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
