Tennis

[Red Rick]

Bellucci reveals he's been on a silent ban since the USO. Didn't know it was a confirmed practice

https://www.vavel.com/en-us/tennis-usa/864296-thomaz-bellucci-received-five-month-silent-ban-after-failed-drugs-test.html

 

[movingtarget]

Re:

Bellucci reveals he's been on a silent ban since the USO. Didn't know it was a confirmed practice

https://www.vavel.com/en-us/tennis-usa/864296-thomaz-bellucci-received-five-month-silent-ban-after-failed-drugs-test.html

Silent bans seem to be self defeating for the sport at an ethical level but obviously they want the dollars to keep rolling in. I wonder what the anti doping agencies think of this ?

 

[Zebadeedee]

Silent bans tied in with short suspension periods seems the established order of the day now for tennis. They can pass it all off as an injury that way, Bellucci being merely the latest to use the injury scam.

 

[pantanivdb]

Was Marion Bartoli on a 4 year silent ban?

 

[arcus]

This is the reasoned decision in the Bellucci case. http://www.itftennis.com/media/277960/277960.pdf

Essentially, he blamed contaminated prescription compounded vitamin pills for his AAF.
To establish his 'innocence', he had vitamin pills (which he hadn't admitted taking on his doping control form) tested at his own expense, in a lab of his choosing (without any ITF anti-doping involvement). He further attempted to establish that he wasn't using HCTC as a steroid-masking agent by having 'his' hair tested at his own expense, in a lab of his choosing, and at a time of his choosing (again without any ITF anti-doping involvement). The pills were subsequently tested at a WADA lab, but since the originally sealed-containers had been opened already, this result is of limited/no value, IMO.

According the the document, "bespoke vitamin formulations" prescribed by the same doctor and biochemist, and formulated by the same pharmacy, have gotten Brazilian athletes in trouble before.

Why on earth would a former world #21, be so apparently unaware of his anti-doping responsibilities, need for "utmost caution", and be risking his career in this way?

 

[arcus]

Re:

Silent bans tied in with short suspension periods seems the established order of the day now for tennis. They can pass it all off as an injury that way, Bellucci being merely the latest to use the injury scam.

You can think of silent bans in 2 ways.

1] Non-announcement while case is pending:
Athlete has an AAF and fights with their IF to establish innocence vs. guilt till tribunal concluded. This takes time. I can see a case for keeping this kept private in the (however unlikely) event that an athlete categorically proves themselves innocent. In that scenario, why should they be subject to condemnation by assumption while the case is playing out? (and this is consistent with the WADA code).

2] Flat out fraud, for PR reasons:
Athlete has AAF, the IF concludes they committed an ADRV, tells them to scram for a while as punishment, but fails to make this public. The athlete cites absence due to injury, licks their financial wounds, but doesn';t lose face. The problem is that his would require the complicity of WADA, since they are aware of all AAFs, even if the samples are initially anonymous. I can't absolutely discount this possibility, but for me it's a real stretch.

 

[TMP402]

What do we know about Pierre Paganini, Federer's fitness coach now (also?) working with Wawrinka, who was "the secret to Federer's success"?

 

[DanielSong39]

Wow, Nadal.

 

[DanielSong39]

Re:

What do we know about Pierre Paganini, Federer's fitness coach now (also?) working with Wawrinka, who was "the secret to Federer's success"?

Both dudes are doped to the hills; it's not exactly news.

 

[Cycle Chic]

Unbelieveable Sam Stosur - the BICEPS HAVE DISAPPEARED and she actually looks normal. Must have a had a quiet warning.

 

[nayr497]

Ugh, HBO is now running a documentary on Serena. It blows my mind how the public at large is completely ignorant of her doping. I even emailed the editor of The New Yorker after he wrote a piece glorifying her talents. He too seemed to think it was plausible she's clean. Ugh.

 

[TMP402]

Sabalenka is a pretty impressive physical specimen for a barely older than teenage girl.

Anyway, Elina Svitolina, French Open 2017

Elina Svitolina, French Open 2018

That muscle definition.

 

[yaco]

Well I am happier to see muscle definition on female players - There are still a few who are out of shape, though this has improved in the last 5 years.

 

[Cycle Chic]

Djokovic is visibly tired in his rallies - deffo off the juice

 

[TMP402]

Re:

Well I am happier to see muscle definition on female players - There are still a few who are out of shape, though this has improved in the last 5 years.

Sure but she's gone from being flabby of face and un-toned of body to being rather muscular over the course of perhaps six months, and most visibly over the last two months or so.

 

[yaco]

Re: Re:

Well I am happier to see muscle definition on female players - There are still a few who are out of shape, though this has improved in the last 5 years.

Sure but she's gone from being flabby of face and un-toned of body to being rather muscular over the course of perhaps six months, and most visibly over the last two months or so.

Pics are not definitive proof - There's been more than a few female tennis players who've had a body transformation in 12 months - Though more tend to adopt the slender look as opposed to the muscular look.

 

[DanielSong39]

Pro tennis is a joke.

 

[Zebadeedee]

Here we go again!

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tennis/2018/06/28/serena-williams-embroiled-controversy-doping-test-florida-home/

 

[silvergrenade]

Re:

Sabalenka is a pretty impressive physical specimen for a barely older than teenage girl.

Anyway, Elina Svitolina, French Open 2017

Elina Svitolina, French Open 2018

That muscle definition.

I recently saw her Instagram. Seems like she's lost a ton of weight.
She's starting looking emaciated from the earlier Svitolina we saw.
She's lost so much muscle too. Wonder what has happened...

 

[yaco]

It's simple - Svitolina has a more athletic body shape in 2018 - Her body shape in 2017 needed improvement.

 

[Mayo from Mayo]

Here's the GOAT(male) backing up the GOAT (female) asking for equality in testing.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/sport/federer-wants-more-equality-in-drug-testing-852322.html

I'm sure the majority opinion here wlll be that Serena just needs to suck it up cos she's dodgy but what about Fed stating that the Swiss tester is not only known to him but stays in the same village?

 

[Pantani Attacks]

Nice to see Federer get beat today. When he needed to dig deep he came up completely empty, when usually he wisps his hair back and goes into full *** mode.

Hopefully he goes back into his shell after the complete *** show of going back to near prime levels in recent years. They always talk about Nadal being dodgy but Federer is the biggest abuser aside from Serena...the guy never ever gets tired. Federer and Novak's peak will always be the most questionable tennis cases aside from Serena imo.

 

[BullsFan22]

Yeah, it's amazing how Serena always comes back from long breaks, whether it's 'injuries' or pregnancy to as if she was playing regularly, without any issues.

Expect a Djokovic Nadal final. Djokovic now playing good again, as if he, like Serena, wasn't out of the game. Nadal played a near 5 hour marathon against Del Potro.

Anderson as well, showing power and endurance that he never had before, certainly not this much, and at the age of 32, what's more.

Serena at 37 and Kerber at 30. Men's finalists will also be into their thirties...Djokovic at 31, Anderson 32, Nadal 32, Isner at 33. Where are the men and women in their early to mid 20's, never mind the ones in their late teens??!?

 

[Singer01]

Expect a Djokovic Nadal final. Djokovic now playing good again, as if he, like Serena, wasn't out of the game. Nadal played a near 5 hour marathon against Del Potro.

They are playing each other in the semi final, there will be one very unfancied player in the mens final, which is good for variety, but whoever it is probably gets absolutely steam rollered.
Edit, especially now they just played 300 hours in the semi.

 

[Red Rick]

Yeah, it's amazing how Serena always comes back from long breaks, whether it's 'injuries' or pregnancy to as if she was playing regularly, without any issues.

Expect a Djokovic Nadal final. Djokovic now playing good again, as if he, like Serena, wasn't out of the game. Nadal played a near 5 hour marathon against Del Potro.

Anderson as well, showing power and endurance that he never had before, certainly not this much, and at the age of 32, what's more.

Serena at 37 and Kerber at 30. Men's finalists will also be into their thirties...Djokovic at 31, Anderson 32, Nadal 32, Isner at 33. Where are the men and women in their early to mid 20's, never mind the ones in their late teens??!?

Younger male players are off the performance enhancing talent, which sadly you can't buy