"ITIA really is broke & hunting players down," "Rule is rule" - Jenson Brooksby's suspension after Simona Halep, Mikael Ymer bans divides fans

Tennis fans have shared mixed reactions to the news of Jenson Brooksby being suspended for 18 months due to three missed drug tests.

On Tuesday, October 24, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) released a statement, announcing that an independent tribunal had suspended Jenson Brooksby on the account of three 'whereabouts failures' within a 12-month period, meaning that the American tennis player was a no-show at three of his out-of-competition doping tests.

“The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) can confirm that an independent tribunal has suspended American tennis player Jenson Brooksby for 18 months after it found the player had committed three whereabouts failures in a twelve-month period,” the organization said in the official statement.

While Brooksby challenged the blame placed on him regarding his second missed test, the ITIA deemed him ‘negligent’ after sufficient evidence was established, pointing at the 22-year-old’s dereliction.

“Having considered the evidence, the tribunal found that Brooksby’s degree of fault for the missed test was high. The tribunal found that the DCO [Doping Control Officer] ‘took all reasonable steps to locate the player’ in the disputed test and the player was negligent by not making themself available for testing during the identified time slot,” the ITIA announced.

Brooksby is the third such high-profile case this year that has resulted in a hefty suspension. Earlier in 2023, Sweden’s Mikael Ymer was handed a suspension of 18 months after he similarly missed three doping tests. Just a month later, the former World No. 50 announced his retirement from the sport.

Former World No. 1 Simona Halep, meanwhile, was slapped with an astounding four-year ban, on account of two doping violations – a positive drug test and irregularities in her Athlete Biological Passport.

Tennis fans thus shared their mixed reactions to Brooksby’s ban. Many sided with the American and called out the ITIA. It is worth noting that several players, including Brooksby, Ymer and Alize Cornet, have come forward and accused the agency of complicating the process.

“The ITIA is flexing their muscle a bit too much lately. The 4-year Halep ban is already asinine enough, and now this. An 18-month ban for missing 3 tests is just ridiculous. Give him something like 3-6 months and additional months with each additional missed test,” one fan opined.

A few others, however, refused to give Jenson Brooksby the benefit of the doubt.

“A whereabouts violation in tennis is crazy because it is really hard to hide. So he did that sh*t,” a fan wrote.

Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans:

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"I will be back, and I hope it will be soon" – Jenson Brooksby on his 18-month ban

Jenson Brooksby and Tommy Paul at the 2023 Australian Open

Jenson Brooksby has been out of action since January this year. The American’s last match was against his compatriot Tommy Paul in the third round of the 2023 Australian Open.

In the weeks following his Melbourne stint, the former World No. 33 revealed that he had undergone arthroscopic left wrist surgery. In May, he got the procedure done on his right wrist as well.

Brooksby was handed a provisional suspension in July, thus his 18-month ban is expected to see him out of action till January 2025. The 22-year-old, however, stated that he will be appealing the independent tribunal’s decision and will be looking forward to make a return to the courts soon.

“I intend to appeal this decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. I have been fighting injures for almost a year. My return to the sport that I love will unfortunately be delayed a little bit longer. But I will be back, and I hope it will be soon,” he said in a statement on Instagram.