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In the light of the recent suspension of Russia from all international athletic events, 17-time grand slam champion, Roger Federer has said that tennis players should undergo anti-doping tests regularly, so that tennis doesn’t suffer the same problems as athletics has in the past few weeks, reported The Guardian.
The Swiss said that he is still surprised when he walks off the court and is not asked to provide a doping sample. He has also called for players to undergo more out-of-competition tests to keep the sport clean and fair.
Speaking at a news conference before the start of ATP World Tour Finals which begin on Sunday in London, the 34-year-old said that the ATP was doing enough to keep doping out of the sport, but there was a lot more that can be done to keep the players under check and away from doping, “I think they are trying their most but we can do more. Whenever you make the quarter-finals of a tournament, when the points are greater, the money is greater, you should know that you will be tested. I think that would be very clear and simple. And if they keep the tests for longer, I’m all for that, not just weeks and months, years I’m talking about. That’s the way to scare people.”
Federer was speaking to the press after the World Anti-Doping Agency report, published on Monday, which stated that Russia was state sponsoring the doping culture in athletics, with sportspersons from other sports also coming under scrutiny.
He further added that he was confident of the Swiss anti-doping model, but said out-of-competition testing was still not frequent enough to check doping. “I feel like the Swiss programme is tough and strict but out-of-competition testing could definitely increase as well,” Federer said.
“I still think that should happen more frequently and I’m sure the Swiss do things how it should be done, so you can try to imagine how others do it.”
Federer also said that he had been tested out of competition about five times this year. “There need to be more resources,” he said. “It’s very important. Players need to feel that there are going to be tested. So they will shy away from any silly thought they might have.
“I’m always surprised when I walk off court after a final and I’m like ‘where is anti-doping?’” Federer added.
When asked if the Wada report surprised him, Federer said: “No. But then it says there are other nations that are not doing it properly either.”
The Tennis anti-doping programme was introduced in 1993 and is administered by the International Tennis Federation along with the ATP Tour and WTA Tour.
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