ITF defends doping system

Tennis

Tennis

The International Federation, faced with an injunction by lawyers acting for Mats Wilander and Karel Novacek, complied with a High Court order yesterday by providing evidence of its anti-doping procedure.

By doing so, the game's governing body was endeavouring to keep any action against players testing positive for banned substances within the sport rather than through the civil courts.

Wilander, the Swedish former world No 1, and Novacek, a Czech Davis Cup player, are alleged to have tested positive for cocaine at last year's French Open.

The ITF procedure allows for a player to be informed if an A sample tests positive and to present at the B sample test. If that also proves positive, the player has the right to appeal to an independent review board.

The ITF undertook to give 21 days' notice of any appeal hearing, but the players' decision to take civil action meant the procedure had to be halted until the court had ruled.

n Britain's Greg Rusedski fought back to beat Frenchman Lionel Roux, 6-7, 6-2, 6-2, and faces the Wimbledon champion, Pete Sampras, in today's quarter-finals of the Sybase Open indoor tournament in San Jose.

n Play was washed out at the Dubai Open yesterday. The organisers hope to play the quarter-finals and semi-finals today.