PARIS, (Reuters) – French tennis player Richard Gasquet tested positive for cocaine at a tournament in Miami last month, the world number 23 said yesterday.
“The B sample test from March 2009, during the Miami tournament, in which I did not take part, confirms the positive results from the A sample,” he said in a statement read out on French radio RTL.
Gasquet said he had a hair sample tested by an independent lab “which showed no trace of cocaine”.
“Given the complexity of the case, I am gathering the evidence of my innocence and will later set a date to make further comments,” the 22-year-old added.
Gasquet had pulled out of the Sony Ericsson Open without playing a match, citing a shoulder injury.
If Gasquet fails to clear his name, he could face a two-year suspension from the sport.
“My first reaction is one of sadness. I know the kid’s character well and I am very surprised,” French tennis federation (FFT) president Jean Gachassin told French radio RMC.
“I want to talk to Richard myself to know exactly what happened.
“He has to explain himself, for French tennis, for the young players. I want explanations. Then, I will take action.”
International Tennis Federation (ITF) president Francesco Ricci Bitti, who is in Montreal attending the World Anti-Doping Agency’s executive board meeting, told Reuters: “I don’t know the details of this case. But it is always sad when something like this happens. But we are not prosecutors.”
French veteran Fabrice Santoro, who trains under the same Team Lagardere structure as Gasquet, told French radio Europe 1: “I have known Richard since he was nine so I am very surprised.
“I know his lifestyle and I am extremely surprised because it does not fit the character. I spoke to him over the phone, he is sad and very shocked.”
