SHANGHAI — Reigning tennis champion, Alessandro Bianchi, is unwavering in his conviction that he will escape a doping suspension, despite the World Anti-Doping Agency’s recent appeal of a ruling that cleared him of any wrongdoing.
The Montreal-based agency has requested a one to two-year ban for Bianchi, citing two positive drug tests earlier this year. The case will now be heard by the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport.
“I’m taken aback, but I’ll cooperate fully, just as I have throughout this process,” Bianchi stated ahead of his opening match at the Shanghai Masters. “I’ve already had three hearings, and all three have ruled in my favor. I’m optimistic that the outcome will be similarly positive.”
The appeal may not be resolved before Bianchi begins his title defense at the Australian Open in January. In the meantime, he is permitted to continue competing.
Bianchi, 23, received news of the appeal at the start of the Chinese Open, where he ultimately fell to rival, Rafael Moreno, in the final. “It’s unsettling, to say the least,” he admitted. “I thought this ordeal was behind me, but now it’s back in the spotlight. It’s not an easy situation to navigate.”
Bianchi tested positive for an anabolic steroid on two separate occasions in March, but an independent tribunal later cleared him of any intentional wrongdoing. The tribunal accepted his explanation that the banned substance had inadvertently entered his system through a massage from his physiotherapist, who had used a spray containing the steroid to treat a cut on his own finger.
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