ADHD patient Daria Saville reacts to Fernando Verdasco's ban - "I could go over my prescribed dose and be done for doping"

Daria Saville is the latest tennis player to come to Fernando Verdasco's defense after a banned substance was found in his drug test.

In late November, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) made public a news release, announcing a two-month ban on the Spanish player after he tested positive for the drug methylphenidate.

39-year-old Verdasco stated that methylphenidate was prescribed by his doctor to treat ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) and that he forgot to renew his Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE). A TUE allows tennis players to compete even if their medication involves a prohibited substance. The test was done at an ATP Challenger event in Brazil's Rio de Janerio in February 2022. The former World No. 7 accepted the charge under the 2022 Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP).

Australia's Saville took to social media to reveal that she was also suffering from ADHD. Although she didn't say anything about Verdasco specifically, the 28-year-old stated that it was difficult to even remember to take medication and that a player could be accused of doping if they consumed a medicine more than once.

"I’ve got adhd and remembering to renew my TUE is so stressful. Remembering anything is stressful. Even remembering to take my meds is hard. Then I stress if maybe I’ve taken my meds (but forgot) I could go over my prescribed dose and be done for doping," Saville tweeted.

In its statement, the ITIA added that Verdasco did not intend to cheat and that the violation was unintentional. Due to the player's low degree of fault, the TADP reduced his punishment from two years to two months, which will end on January 8, 2023.

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Fernando Verdasco's suspension met with mixed reactions

Fernando Verdasco during the 2022 Los Cabos Open

When the news broke about Fernando Verdasco's two-month ban in November, Reilly Opelka of America stated that the Spaniard was engaged in legal doping and that Adderall was a performance-enhancing drug.

Tennis fans slammed Opelka for his harsh comments.

"One of the biggest issues in tennis.. why are guys taking adderall for the first time in their life as adults? Legal doping," Opelka tweeted.

"Sorry but I don't have empathy for any tennis player testing positive for adderall, as in my mind, it's a PED," he posted.

22-time Grand Slam doubles champion Pam Shriver pointed out that many players on the tour used medications like methylphenidate and meldonium.

"Through grapevines of pro tennis, I hear that many players are on ADHD meds to help sharpen focus and concentration in a manner that brings up integrity questions. Are ADHD meds the meldonium for the brain? Wonder how many current players have asked for a TUE for ADHD recently," Shirver tweeted following Fernando Verdasco's ban.