Chilean Tennis Player Nicolas Jarry Handed 11-Month Doping Ban

Santiago, April 21: Chilean tennis player Nicolas Jarry has been banned for 11 months for breaching the sport's anti-doping code.

The 24-year-old was provisionally suspended in January after testing positive for muscle-building compound ligandrol and anabolic steroid stanozolol during the Davis Cup finals in Madrid last November.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) said on Monday it accepted Jarry's claim that he unwittingly took the substances in vitamins from Brazil prescribed to him by his doctor, reports Xinhua news agency.

The organization spared Jarry a maximum ban of two years, accepting that he was not at significant fault or negligent.

"It is apparent that the consumption of bespoke supplements, in particular those made in compound pharmacies in South America, carries with it a significant degree of risk," the London-based body said in a statement.

"The ITF urges all players to exercise extreme caution in considering whether to use supplements and warns that any (doping) violation that results from the ingestion of contaminated supplements will likely lead to a significant period of ineligibility."

Jarry will be free to resume playing in November because the penalty was backdated to December 16.

"With a clear conscience I tell you that we were able to prove that the prohibited substances identified in the test, were originated in the Brazilian laboratory which cross contaminated my vitamins," Jarry said in a statement on his Twitter account.

He said he accepted the penalty and ruled out an appeal. Jarry is currently ranked 89th in the world and reached a career high No. 38 last July.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 21, 2020 09:35 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).