John McEnroe has called for the ATP to severely deal with players accused of using performance-enhancing drugs, and said he was surprised that Britain’s Greg Rusedski had tested positive for steroids.
McEnroe, in a story published in the London Daily Telegraph, called for the ATP to ”come down harshly on him [Rusedski] or anyone else” proved guilty of taking drugs.
Last week, Rusedski admitted that he tested positive for nandrolone last July. The Canadian-born player said he was innocent and the steroid must have been contained in supplements dispensed by ATP tour trainers.
McEnroe said he was surprised that Rusedski would have tested positive.
”Watching him play, I’ve never noticed anything about him that struck me as different, but I don’t know him that well,” McEnroe said. ”It would be surprising if it were true.
”It would be sad if this was the case, because it shows the desperate measures people will go to in order to keep up.”
McEnroe also said the ATP tour should have a commissioner.
”We have enough problems in the sport, just getting more people to play and getting their attention without this sort of thing happening,” McEnroe told the newspaper. ”It’s the last thing we needed.”
McEnroe said he had suspicions that players were taking drugs when he was playing.
”If you don’t have proof you have to back off,” he said. ”I don’t think it was widespread but I’m sure it did go on.”
McEnroe said there was often a fine line between legal and illegal drugs.
”I’m not sure some of the legal prescriptions, some of the strong, anti-inflammatory drugs people are given for speeding up the healing process, are that far removed from illegal ones,” McEnroe said.
”For six years I was unaware I was being given a form of steroid of the legal kind they used to give horses until they decided it was too strong even for horses.
”So people have to become more aware of what they are putting into their bodies. In general people are administered drugs too readily.”
Drug testing in tennis started in the late 1980s, conducted by the Men’s International Professional Tennis Council. The testing at that time was for recreational drugs only and not for those that were considered performance-enhancing. — Sapa-AP