THE SCOOP: FRIDAY, JANUARY 9

Rusedski tests positive for nandro, drops bombshells
Says ATP is singling him out; alleges 47 other samples were positive

By Matthew Cronin
tennisreporters.net

Fred Mullane/Camerawork USA

According to tennisreporters.net contributor Eleanor Preston, a couple of days before Greg Rusedski admitted he that he indeed had tested positive for the banned drug nandrolone, he vehemently denied there was any investigation.

"Rusedski would not normally count acting among his talents but when contacted two days ago at the AAPT championships in Adelaide, his apparent disbelief at any notion that he might have tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs was worthy of an Oscar," Preston wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald. "There was nothing in Rusedski's manner to suggest that this one might be true."

Rusedski said to Preston, "I have never heard such a load of rubbish in my life and anyone else who asks me will get the same answer."

The answer as of Friday was much different, but that’s keeping in line with Rusedski’s normal behavior – lash out, retract, allege, blame the rest of the world for his ills. But even though Rusedski has never been particularly couth and is a bit of a misfit, the ATP picked the wrong man to try to suspend; Greg will go to hell and back to defame those he feels are wronging him.

That’s exactly what the ATP is facing now.

Rusedski – who says he's never willingly taken performance-enhancing drugs and will fight the charges at a hearing – is alleging that 47 of the world's top 120 men have exhibited elevated levels of the steroid and suggested that the ATP may be responsible. He wants the ATP to drop the case and publish the names of the other players.

"It's one of the biggest scandals to surface in world sport and is unique to tennis," said Rusedski. "Drug-taking is not rife in tennis and something here is very wrong. We now have over 47 samples demonstrating elevated levels of nandrolone. The odds of this happening at random are billions to one against. … The only explanation the ATP has been able to find for this is that they themselves caused it. I am sure that all the players concerned are innocent."

If any of this is true, the entire existence of the ATP is at risk. Forty-seven guys? That’s a number that could destroy the sport as we know it. If it is true, tennis’ credibility will be zilch. If the ATP "caused it" as Rusedski claims, those giving out supplements should be immediately fired.

ATP RETRACTED SUSPENSION
Last year, the ATP had to rescind its suspension of Czech Bohdan Ulihrach because it was discovered that ATP trainers had mistakenly given him nandro. But the ATP has strongly defended its testing procedures and says it has cleaned up its act.

The 30-year-old Rusedski faces a two-year suspension, which would all but end his career. "It's hugely damaging to tennis and British tennis in particular," the Lawn Tennis Association's Mark Petchey told The Independent. "Greg is the last guy that I would say would take drugs. If it's true, it's going to be such a dark cloud over his head. I just hope that the allegations aren't true. He's just such a model professional. He's not a guy you'd see on the party scene. He just would not have gone anywhere near this."

But the usually over-opinionated Pat Cash, who coached Rusedski in 2001 before splitting with him in a money dispute, said his former stead should have tread more carefully. "He should know better," Cash told the PA wire. "Perhaps he has taken it accidentally. I'm surprised, but he is the sort of guy who would stop at nothing to better his career. He is very dedicated and when you have a run of injuries, it's very tempting to take something to help you along. It seems a bit ridiculous he would do that, he's shot himself in the foot. But unless there are extreme circumstances I think he will find himself out of tennis for a year. Even if he does get cleared he's going to have a hard time in the locker room."

Rusedski is the second top-five ranked lefty to test positive, joining '98 Aussie Open winner Petr Korda. Argentines Mariano Puerta, Juan-Ignacio Chela, Guillermo Coria and Martin Rodriguez have also been suspended for steroid use.

"I have diligently kept a record of every vitamin and supplement that I have ever consumed throughout my career," Rusedski went on to say. "At great personal cost, I arranged for all of the mineral supplements and electrolytes that I used to be analyzed to see if they could be the cause. They were all clean."

Because nandrolone occurs naturally in the body and has been found in numerous sports supplements, a number of athletes will test positive at a low level.

WHERE DID HE GET IT?
The key in the Rusedski case is whether he took the supplement himself or whether the ATP gave it to him. Remarkably, he’s alleging that even after the Ulihrach debacle in early July when the ATP said in early that they had instructed ATP trainers not to distribute any more supplements, that somehow that nandro-laced product got into his system during the Indianapolis tournament.

"The sample I provided two weeks later in Indianapolis demonstrated all of the characteristics of the common analytical fingerprint," he said. "Furthermore, I have subsequently learnt that since July three other new cases have come to light in tennis which have also demonstrated elevated levels of nandrolone and have also demonstrated the common analytical fingerprint. It is, I believe, absolutely clear that something is very wrong here."

While the ATP said it cannot comment on ongoing investigations it did release this somewhat cryptic response: "The ATP announced on July 9, 2003 that during the period between August 2002 and May 2003, IOC-accredited laboratories in Montreal, Lausanne and Stockholm processed an unprecedented number of samples of ATP players registering trace amounts of the steroid nandrolone or one of its prohibited 19-nor precursors. These test results included a unique analytical fingerprint in the samples, suggesting a common source of nandrolone.

"The ATP conducted an investigation led by Richard Young, a respected anti-doping expert. While the investigation has not definitely determined the source of the players’ contamination, it was unable to exclude the possibility that the contamination may have been an electrolyte supplement that the ATP’s trainers provided to players.

"Since the ATP trainers stopped distributing vitamin and nutritional products in May 2003, the presence of nandrolone in test results has largely halted. In the past eight months, the IOC-accredited laboratories testing for the ATP have reported four samples with the presence of nandrolone containing the same analytical fingerprint as the previous test results. Three of these samples were below the threshold for positive nandrolone samples (2.0 ng/ml). The presence of the same analytical fingerprint may suggest a common source of contamination.

"Because no definitive source of the contamination has been found, the ATP has continued its efforts to identify the source. These efforts include the testing for contamination of additional vitamin and nutritional products that are commonly used by athletes. Since May 2003, the ATP has strengthened its procedures to guard against the risk of contamination, including halting the distribution of all vitamin and nutritional products to its players, and significantly enhancing its player education program regarding the dangers of supplements and the risk of inadvertent contamination."

Rusedski’s case will be heard in Montreal on Feb. 9. The one-time Canadian is also claiming that the ATP dropped 43 cases after the Ulihrach situation was uncovered and should do the same in his case.

"If it was unfair and unreasonable to proceed to prosecution or investigation of the previous 43 cases, equally I consider it will be wrong and unfair to proceed with mine," Rusedski said. "However, the ATP, for reasons I simply do not understand, have not taken this view. Instead of treating me in the same category as all of the other players who have demonstrated elevated levels of nandrolone and the common analytical fingerprint, I appear to have been singled out for this treatment. This is wrong, unfair and discriminatory. I would invite the ATP to be open about which other players demonstrated elevated nandrolone levels apart from myself. Most of all, I would invite the ATP to drop this case as it is clear that the source of this problem is tennis rather than anything I did or took."