Tennis expands drug testing programme

The International Tennis Federation is to expand its drug testing programme with the introduction of an Athlete Biological Passport Programme. Under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme, players are already tested for all substances in the WADA prohibited list, using techniques which include GC/MS, LC/MS and immunoassays. Now, the profiles of biological markers of doping and the results of doping tests of individual athletes will be collated over a period of time in an electronic document to highlight variations from established levels that might indicate doping.

The expansion follows recent calls by tennis professionals such as Roger Federer and Andy Murray for more drug tests in tennis. "The implementation of the Athlete Biological Passport is an important step in the evolution of the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme as it provides us with a great tool in the fight against doping in our sport," said ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti.