Tennis: Korda suspended by Czech association

THE CZECH Tennis Association yesterday initiated disciplinary proceedings against their countryman Petr Korda, who failed a drug test at Wimbledon, and suspended him from playing in his home country for a year.

The CTA earlier had demanded suspension of Korda, to no avail. A Czech news agency said the start of the disciplinary proceedings means he cannot play on Czech territory until the case is finished.

Korda will be little affected by the ban, however, since he gave up Davis Cup tennis for the Czech Republic last year and seldom appears at home.

In December, an independent appeals committee appointed by the International Tennis Federation announced that Korda was guilty of a doping offence. He tested positive for nandrolone after his quarter-final Wimbledon defeat by Tim Henman last year.

According to ITF rules, Korda should have been suspended for a year, but the panel cited "exceptional circumstances" saying the ban did not apply as Korda did not know how the drug got into his system. Meanwhile, Korda remains free to play.

"This is a paradoxical situation," the CTA chairman, Karel Papousek, said yesterday. "The ITF has its own policy. Our decision is based on the fact that we are signatories to the international agreements against doping."