(Reuters) -Australia’s two-times Grand Slam doubles champion Max Purcell has elected to take a voluntary provisional suspension under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said on Monday.
The ITIA said Purcell, the world’s 12th ranked doubles player, had admitted to a breach of rules relating to the use of a “prohibited method” and requested to enter into a provisional suspension on Dec. 10, which came into effect two days later.
“Time served under provisional suspension will be credited against any future sanction,” the ITIA said in a statement, without giving further details.
Tennis Australia said the ITIA confirmed the breach related to the use of a prohibited method rather than the presence of a prohibited substance.
“As the matter is currently under investigation, it is inappropriate to comment further at this time,” it added.
The 26-year-old, who won the 2022 Wimbledon doubles title and the U.S. Open doubles title this year, is prohibited from playing in, coaching at, or attending any event authorised by the governing bodies of the sport or national associations.
Purcell is the latest Grand Slam champion to have case opened by the ITIA, an independent organisation established by the governing bodies of the sport to safeguard its integrity.
The agency said last month that French Open champion Iga Swiatek had accepted a one-month suspension after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine following contamination of her sleep medication.
World number one Jannik Sinner had been cleared of wrongdoing after two failed tests in March for the anabolic agent clostebol but faces a ban of up to two years after an appeal by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Both players will be in action in the Australian Open, which begins on Jan. 12.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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