Doping controversies have dominated tennis headlines in recent months, but Jakub Mensik was left thoroughly confused during his match at the Next Gen ATP Finals when asked to do a doping test.
Efforts to keep tennis a clean sport mean players are regularly asked to do doping tests after and between matches at tournaments and also to submit out-of-competition samples for experts to analyze.
An out-of-competition sample is what led to Iga Swiatek receiving a one-month suspension after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine. She was provisionally suspended from September 12th to October 4th.
Swiatek had the provisional ban lifted after further testing proved her explanation that melatonin tablets she bought had been contaminated with trimetazidine without her knowledge. She subsequently accepted the short one-month ban.
The other major doping scandal in 2024 was Jannik Sinner twice testing positive for the prohibited substance clostebol at March's Indian Wells Open after accidental contamination from his physiotherapist at the time.
Despite initially being cleared by the International Tennis Integrity Agency, Sinner's case has been appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport by the World Anti-Doping Agency. The body wants a ban of between one and two years for the Italian.
Both cases have caused much controversy and split opinions in the tennis world. Andy Roddick defended Swiatek, in particular, and does not think what she did should be considered doping since the 23-year-old bought a legal product.
Nick Kyrgios has been harsher. This especially applies to Sinner, the former Wimbledon runner-up who claimed he would show no respect and even try to start a riot if they competed against each other at the Australian Open.
While opinions differ on those cases and how they were handled, there was widespread confusion and subsequent support for Mensik after the young Czech was asked to do a doping test mid-match at the Next Gen ATP Finals.
Mensik played the pre-tournament favorite Arthur Fils in his opening match in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Fils is already a Top 20 player despite being just 20 years old and showed those credentials against the Czech.
After losing the opening two sets, Mensik decided to leave the court to mentally refresh, a common ploy for players when trailing during a match. The 19-year-old was then greeted by someone in the hallway at the venue.
Mensik could not believe it after being asked to take a doping test while he went off-court. He returned to the court and told the umpire about what had happened, who seemed annoyed on behalf of the young player and said it was undoubtedly a mistake.
Some, such as current player and Tennis Channel analyst Christopher Eubanks, guessed that the person who asked Mensik to do the doping test mid-match thought the contest had concluded and was the appropriate time.
Fils went on to win in straight sets, but the match will always be best remembered for Mensik's look of shock as he returned to the court afterward. Hopefully, it is the only time he experiences that during his career.
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