Australia’s Jordan Thompson called the ban handed to his US Open-winning doubles partner Max Purcell a “joke”, questioning what he said was a lack of consistency in punishments for doping violations.
Later, Nick Kyrgios also called out dopers, saying they were “disgusting for our sport.”
Purcell elected to take a provisional suspension under the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s Tennis Anti-Doping Programme, saying he had unknowingly received an IV infusion of vitamins above the allowed limit of 100 millilitres.
The ban will keep the two-time grand slam winner out of next month’s Australian Open, where he was to join forces with Thompson four months on from their triumph at Flushing Meadows.
“I don’t think he’s quite happy and neither am I to be honest,” Thompson told Australian media in Brisbane.
“He took too much in an IV bag — to get suspended for that when there are other people who have done far worse and sometimes just get a slap on the wrist, it’s a bit of a joke I think.
“But it’s not up to me to decide what happens. When you look at guys testing positive and then you have Max taking just too much in an IV bag, it’s a head scratcher.”
Purcell is the latest grand slam winner to be investigated by the agency, which was established to safeguard the sport’s integrity by the game’s governing bodies.
Jordan Thompson (right) said the ban for his double partner Max Purcell was “a bit of a joke”. (Getty Images: Valerio Pennicino)
Last month French Open champion Iga Świątek accepted a one-month suspension after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine following contamination of her sleep medication.
Jannik Sinner, the world number one, was cleared of wrongdoing after failing two tests in March for anabolic agent clostebol but faces a possible two-year ban after an appeal by WADA, the global anti-doping body.
Both players have been cleared to play at the Australian Open, which starts on January 12.
Kyrgios didn’t mince his words when referring to doping-related charges against the pair.
“Two world number ones both getting done for doping is disgusting for our sport. It’s a horrible look,” Kyrgios said at his Brisbane International press conference on Saturday.
“Tennis integrity right now, and everyone knows it but no one wants to speak about it, it’s awful.”
Kyrgios, 29, has not played tournament tennis since June 2023 due to wrist and knee injuries.
He was asked about his motivations for speaking out on the Sinner and Świątek situations.
“Someone like me … I would never even in my entire life ever try and dope in this sport,” he said.
“Especially going through an injury like I went through, obviously there are things out there that could speed up healing, help me get back to prime level, help my recovery.
“There’s so many things out there that are prohibited in our sport that I could have been doing to get me back quicker … [but] that’s just not who I am. I’m always against that.”
Kyrgios also raised questions over Sinner’s claims that his physiotherapist had accidentally contaminated him during treatment with clostebol which had transferred from a cut on his own hand.
“I [pay] my team hundreds and thousands of dollars to be the professionals they are, to make sure that doesn’t happen,” Kyrgios said.
“So they knew it happened. Why did they wait five to six months to do anything about it? He kept his team for five months … that doesn’t make sense.”
Purcell’s suspension means the 27-year-old, who also won the men’s doubles title at Wimbledon in 2022, cannot play in or attend any event authorised by tennis’ governing body, leaving Thompson looking for a new partner.
“It wasn’t great news for me and Maxy — especially Max,” Thompson said.
“I think it’s a bit of a joke, but there’s not a lot I can do about it.”
ABC/wires
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