Capriati says drug tests are 'invasion' of privacy
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Your support makes all the difference.Jennifer Capriati, the world No 3, criticised the idea of random drug tests yesterday, asserting that they would represent an invasion of privacy. "I think it's a bit of an invasion," the American said. "I just don't think they have any right to see what's going on inside your body, even if you're not doing anything.
"I've never heard of anything to be concerned about, if anyone is getting tested for steroids. I don't see really what the point would be."
Capriati denied knowledge of any woman tennis player using steroids on the WTA Tour. However, frequent tests for players at all levels of competitive tennis are likely to be introduced this autumn as the game's governing bodies play catch-up in the fight against doping, the International Tennis Federation said yesterday.
An edict is expected on 15 September from the World Anti-Doping Agency the autonomous international body that works against drugs in sport that blood tests will be needed as back-up to verify positive findings in urine samples. Blood tests alone cannot prove that an athlete has taken substances such as erythropoietin (EPO), which boosts oxygen carriage in the blood, but can provide further evidence on top of a positive advanced urine test for EPO. Blood tests will be needed for legal reasons.
"It's not something we want to inflict on our players, but if we have to, we will," said Debbie Jevons, the executive director of the ITF in charge of medical issues. She added that the ITF, in close partnership with the ATP and WTA the governing bodies of the men's and women's tours is in the process of changing its own laws, which currently do not allow blood testing.
The ITF carried out 700 drug tests last year, and has done 8,000 since routine testing was introduced in 1996. Only eight tests, have been positive, with Mats Wilander (cocaine) and Petr Korda (nandrolone) being the most prominent.
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