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Breaking News
Former No. 1 says she failed Wimbledon drug
test; denies use |
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The following is a statement from Martina Hingis that was released on
Thursday through her agency, Octagon.
"Throughout my career, I have always been
open and honest with you.
"I have been accused by an outsource testing company of taking cocaine
during the Championships at Wimbledon. I find this accusation so horrendous,
so monstrous, that I have decided to confront it head-on by talking
to the press.
"My weapon on the tennis court is and always was one single thing: the
game, the ingenuity on court. And for this style of tennis, there is
only one performance enhancer - the love of the game.
"They say that cocaine increases self-confidence and creates a type of
euphoria. I don't know. I only know that if I were to try to hit the
ball while in any state of euphoria, it simply wouldn't work. I would
think that it would be impossible for anyone to maintain the coordination
required to play top class tennis while under the influence of drugs.
And I know one other thing - I would personally be terrified of taking
drugs.
"When I was informed that the A Test I took following my defeat at Wimbledon
apparently came back positive for a cocaine metabolite, I was shocked
and appalled.
"Acting upon the advice of my family and my management, I immediately
took the hair test which can prove whether or not someone has taken
cocaine. This test of course produced a negative result, the same negative
result as all the countless doping tests that I have taken over the
last twelve years.
"However, the B Test from Wimbledon once again produced the opposite
result - positive for a metabolite that apparently stays in the system
for some time following cocaine use.
"I immediately retained an attorney. Anybody who even attempts to take
on this doping machinery alone has no chance.
"The attorney and his experts discovered various inconsistencies with
the urine sample that was taken during Wimbledon. He is also convinced
that the doping officials mishandled the process and would not be able
to prove that the urine that was tested for cocaine actually came from
me.
"However, this attorney and others have also pointed out to me that a
case like this one can sometimes take years to resolve, especially if
both sides repeatedly appeal the case and take it to the next level.
"And this is the reason for my announcement. I have no desire to spend
the next several years of my life reduced to fighting against the doping
officials.
"I am frustrated and angry. I believe that I am absolutely, one hundred
percent innocent. The fact is that it is more and more difficult for
me, physically, to keep playing at the top of the game. And frankly,
accusations such as these don't exactly provide me with motivation to
even make another attempt to do so. I attempted a comeback after a three-year
break and succeeded in winning three tournaments, bringing my ranking
to 6 in the world. But in the meantime, I'm now 27 years old, and realistically
too old to play top class tennis.
"So now I'm standing before you, confronting the situation. Today I also
informed my sponsors.
"And so, considering this situation, my age, and the problems I have
been having with my hip, I have decided to no longer play tennis on
the Tour.
"Upon advice from my attorneys, I'm afraid I am unable to answer any
questions. My answers could insult someone and create even more problems
for me. Therefore, there is only one more thing for me to do - to thank
all of you for many years of goodwill, and also to assure you:
I have never taken drugs."
Statement from Larry Scott
Sony Ericsson WTA Tour CEO Larry Scott released the following: "The
Sony Ericsson WTA Tour has not received any official information regarding
the positive doping test result referred to by Martina Hingis in her
press conference today, and as a result we are not in a position to comment
on the matter.
"However, it is important to remember that in the area of anti-doping,
all players are presumed innocent until proven otherwise. The Sony Ericsson
WTA Tour has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to doping in sport,
and fully supports the Tennis Anti-Doping Program. The Tennis Anti-Doping
program is both rigorous and comprehensive, and is designed to keep
our sport clean.
"With respect to her retirement announcement, Martina Hingis is a tremendous
champion and a fan favorite the world over. In her most recent comeback,
she proved again that she can perform at the very highest levels of
the game. Martina will always be respected for not only having achieved
the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour world No.1 ranking, her five Grand Slam singles
titles, nine Grand Slam women’s doubles titles and two Sony Ericsson
Championships titles, but just as much for her incredible touch, on-court
intelligence and off-court professionalism."
© TennisReporters.net 2007
