British No. 1 doubles player Tara Moore has been provisionally suspended from the sport after a test she took found traces of a banned substance.
This news will bring Moore crashing back to earth after becoming the No. 1 doubles player from her country in February. She achieved that by winning a series of titles and finals on the ITF Circuit, including in January at the Traralgon International alongside her regular partner Emina Bektas.
Moore has also reached two WTA doubles finals. One of these came in April at the Copa Colsanitas in Bogota with Bektas as her partner. They lost to Astra Sharma and Aldila Sutjiadi.
Ironically, the tournament in Bogota is where Moore took the test which led to her suspension. A urine sample showed traces of Boldenone and Nandrolone metabolite, which are both on the 2022 World Anti-Doping Agency's prohibited list.
Her provisional suspension, backdated from May 27, will make her ineligible to compete in or attend sanctioned events. Moore released a statement on Twitter where she insisted she has never knowingly taken a banned substance.
"I have never knowingly taken a banned substance in my career. I am investigating how the positive result could have occurred and look forward to proving that I am a clean athlete. I am deeply saddened by the provisional suspension and hope to be back on the court as soon as possible."
A lengthy process is now likely to occur. Investigations and appeals around doping issues usually take a considerable period, meaning Moore will undoubtedly miss a lot of tennis even if she is eventually found not to have knowingly taken the substances.
This story does show how careful players have to be. Whether intentional or not, the rigorous testing process will catch players who have taken substances that are on the prohibited list.
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