ITF confirms 1-year ban for Wickmayer, Malisse

@24- Lance

How does it feel to know that Serena own all those players and she dictates who win a match against her? Sucks dosen't it !She is injuried and was able to give the Demented on and KUZZY a beat down to win the YEC. Wow, Welcome to the WTA -Williams Tennis Association. Serena rules tennis. You can make all the snide remarks and name calling all you want, it does not matter, because Serena is used to people like you, "LOSERS WITH FALSE HOPE' Have dead end jobs, live in a trailer park, and sleep with your aunt and cousins. The reality of the matter is that Serena is the "REAL #1 RANKING PLAYER" She broke the all time career earning record, and did I mentioned she earned 6.6 M this year. All those other players have to ask Serena can they play in her "Club",, Of course, she only select a few to play along with her. hahahahahahaaha!

Oh Oh, one more thing, Serena just signed a multimillion dollar deal with CVS to sell her makeup product. Sleep on this one,HATERS.

She-man Williams ranked number one...... they wonder why no one wants to watch the women anymore... ha... lol.... cuz a man is beating them...... lol

This is getting out of hand. I think it's at a point now where the players really need to make a stand. That would basically mean going on strike. Testing the players while they are at tournament sites should be sufficient. They absolutely should not have to be subjected to officials showing up at their homes and while they are on vacation. While they are trying to protect the integrity of the sport, they are breaking the players down mentally with these unreasonable demands. At some point they have to feel like criminals on parole. It's just not right.

This issue is out of control and a rule that borderlines ludicrous. If WADA is really intent on knowing where all the top 50 players are at all times, they might as well have them all wear a GPS tracking bracelet.

Not knowing what the standards are for other sports, I think tennis' drug testing requirements are worse than being on probation from jail. You have to report where they can find you for 2 hours a day on your days off if you're a top 50 player - incredible! And why do they even test for recreational drugs that do not enhance performance? Is the ITF an extension of Interpol? Do they test for booze and smokes and suspend people accordingly for these easily accessiible drugs that do not enhance the image of tennis? Next they'll fine players that pack on a few pounds, pick their nose in public, or get caught watching NASCAR (well, maybe the NASCAR ban makes sense.....)
Seems like the player's union has absolutely no backbone either. Guess a union that has millionares jetting around the world and staying in 5-star hotels just doesn't stand up for themselves when one of theirs is threatened.

Ah the Belgians. First the rumors swirling around Justine Henin about her doping. As soon as the rumors got loud she retired. Now Wickmayer and Malisse. Clijsters is the only clean opne. Between them and the Argentinian men, are any of them clean? Classy...

It does always come back to Serena. I guess these people are obsessed with a winner...a CLEAN winner.

You are idiots. She never failed a drug test. She never missed a drug test. In a three month period, she reported her whereabout 87 days and 3 days did not. Big deal. It is ridiculous and says absolutely nothing. It's intrusive beyond belief, as many players have said. I'd forget too, frankly.

@#17 Joy W

These people are upset because the WADA came to decision to suspend her for one year and they are having a fit. Can you imagine if that was Serena, she would have been guilty. I think they are mad it wasn't Serena who got suspended. How hard is it to report from your home, especially on three different ocassions. I am not buyng her story. Rules are rules and she should have abided by the rules, she did not. TOO BAD!

As Leif Shiras and Corina Morariu said this morning, we fans do not realize how important it is for the players to report their whereabouts AT ALL TIMES is. As Leif said, it is the players responsibility to make sure their whereabouts is communicated. I don't know what Malisse's excuse was but Yaninna said she had problems with her password and that there was no one home to sign for the registered mail because she was traveling to tournaments. I am not judging her but it seems to me she should have telephoned or found some other way to contact them to show a good faith attempt to comply. As far as I understand the anti-doping rules, it is a mandatory one year suspension for anyone failing to report there whereabouts three times within a year. I appreciate WADA for trying to keep the sport of tennis clean. I know that there are many who feel they are overreacting as a result of the Agassi disclosure but I think it is just coincidental. I don't think Yaninna failed a drug test but I guess they are trying to insure that a player will not duck the test until they are clean (no player in particular).

Yeah sh never tested positive and the ruling said that a 3rd time will still be a warning, so it was so incosistent. And you the girl from Tennis comittee whatever, it wan't the tennis committee who banned her it was the Belgian doping whatever, so the rules only applies for belgian players and not for all players, you guyz should read the article well. And the ITF just respected the decision of the Belgian Comittee.

@Delores B

Did you read the actual article? She never tested positive for anything.

Whether it's the rules or not, a 1 year is incredibly stupid for failing to report your whereabouts. a fine and a few months suspension, yeah maybe I can see that as being ok. But 1 year? 1 whole season? Even if you aren't doping? Plain stupid.

Regardless of how "sketchy" it looks if a player is missed 3 times, I still think that this whole system is BS. First off, no way is any PD going to help you in tennis. Unless time slows down and gives you a seemingly unlimited time to hit the ball, PDs are useless (in most sports actually, but that's another story).

It's stupid to ban someone for one YEAR just because they didn't report their whereabouts. Its probably the stupidest rule too... are they really going to stop Roger Federer while he's shopping for groceries to see if he's drugging up?

Test them during a training session... better yet test them during tournaments. Is it really going to enhance performance when they don't have it in their system during a tourney?

I understand why you say its "fair" given the rules... but the rules themselves are amazingly idiotic.

And worst off, all these idiots saying "She shouldn't dope". We don't even know if she HAS taken drugs... why jump to conclusions? Shame on you ITF - first you allow for such rules, and then you make it seem like its better for the sport.

IF a player takes drugs, suspend them. If you can't find a player... warn them, fine them, dock points. Whatever.. but seriously 1 year? Stupid.

This will serve a lesson for all tennis players that doping is not good. The ban is fair enough but the news that the Belgian Anti-Doping Tribunal will ban her for life is out of this world. Kudos to ITF.

I agree with Wickmayer's suspension - once or twice is undestandable but three times in a year is her own stupidity and either she was trying to cover something up or she is just incredibly stupid - either way she deserves the ban as a wake-up call.
Brings back into focus those "incidents" earlier in the year when she "uncharacteristically" hurled abuse and physically injured a tournament official when she lost control of herself and her racquet in a minor torunament.
We all know that the use of steroids and testerone in female athletes leads to aggressive and abusive behaviour.

Not being able to account for her wherabouts once or twice is okay, but three times raises a red flag.. Serena has never done drugs because she would have been caught a long time ago....and anyway people who use steroids do not have boobs.

Malisse hasnt won anything anyway, so it wont bother him. He needs to retire anyway!

Why do these people always do this, then want to sue everytime they get caught. Just tell the people where you are, you get paid plenty of money to do that. Damn Wickmayer, do the right thing, ur getting paid a lot of money to do this, so its ur fault if you screw up. I have no mercy on anyone who gets tagged cause they make about 100 times the money a normal person makes on average. And being in the top ten, she makes even more money. How stupid!

@& Andrew Broad

Wickmayer is guilty, she is being punished go and take up your grievance with the WADA and not the WTA- William Tennis Association. Serena did not tell her to use steriod, and test positive. She deserved her suspension.

This is ridiculous. If they're going to treat tennis-players as criminals, why not fit them with electronic tags? A classic case of the innocent being punished, while the guilty (Serena Williams and Agassi) are probably going to get off practically scot-free.

yet what you forget vanessa and Ibm,the itf came out and supported the decision they made for wickmayer. sorry but that's still contradictory in my eyes. how can you have one set of standards for one or two players and have the complete opposite when a person makes threatening sentiments toward an official? sorry but one would think that threats would be far more disdainful,no matter the sincerity. it's a joke. it just proves yet again,when you have the money and the status you can get away with anything.

omg so Agassi can use meth and these 2 get banned for not showing up on time,3 times?
@#$%k that!

Wickmayer and Malisse were given the MINIMUM suspension for their infraction which was related to their availability for drug testing. They were both aware of these rules and did not report their whereabouts not one, but three times. If all the other players can comply, so can they. If players feel the rule is too harsh, then they need to come together to call for a change.

Serena was fined $500 for racquet abuse and the MAXIMUM $10,000 for bad conduct at the US Open. this was not related to drug testing/doping. A totally different body penalized her and she was subject to another set of rules for sporstmanship and conduct.

The Grand Slam Committee must seek to be fair and consistent with their ruling.

@IandiansR - in addition, the fact that you bring up race and hate mongering as a comment to a doping article shows more about your class and intelligence than anything else. You should do some serious introspection.

@IndiansR - it always come back to Serena doesnt it? Are you really comparing athletes who dont show up for testing with a 3 minute public tirade? Really?