New ATP doping row explodes as player attempts to stop rivals eating 'contaminated' food
One tennis star has been banned provisionally suspended.
A fresh ATP doping row has broken out following Nicolas Zanellato’s recent ban.
Jannik Sinner’s doping saga has been the talk of the sport in recent weeks after it was revealed that he had tested positive twice for the banned substance clostebol in March. The Italian successfully appealed his provisional suspensions as he was found to have ‘bore no fault or negligence’ by an independent tribunal, which cleared him and allowed him to continue playing. But a fresh saga has now emerged.
Zanellato tested positive for boldenone whilst competing at a Challenger tournament in Ibague, Colombia, which is a substance banned by the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP).
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The 22-year-old promptly filed an appeal against the case though just over a week after his provisional suspension took effect on August 12. Zanellato presented his case to an independent tribunal, but his appeal was rejected.
As a result, the world No. 656 is unable to train or play in any official tennis events, though Renzo Olivo has spoken out against his rivals’ suspension and has hinted that the blame lies elsewhere.
The Argentine took to X, previously known as Twitter, to state that boldenone is often found in Colombian beef and therefore Zanellato has been the victim of being unaware of what is inside the food he consumed whilst in South America.
Olivo then claimed that he had made an ATP official aware whilst at the event of how food can be ‘contaminated’ by the substance, but other players were not made aware in enough time to avoid the beef.
The former world No. 78 wrote: “Zanellato's doping case is ridiculous. It's a substance found in Colombian beef, and the ATP knows this very well.
"I played in the same tournament where he tested positive, and I had to go to the supervisor and tell him to send an email to the players not to eat meat because there were players who didn’t know about it, and I saw a couple of them eating meat.
“What did the supervisor say to me? 'Ah, you’re right, we have to send it.' Too late! Besides, it’s a substance that doesn’t give any sporting advantage.
“The news is made public, and then there’s an appeal; that’s the normal procedure. There’s no appeal before it’s made public."
Olivo then responded to several responses from tennis fans on the matter, saying that it is not the first time that a player has fallen victim to being unaware of food in the continent.
Express Sport has contacted the ATP for a comment.
