Did Laver dope?

YouCantBeSerious · 08-03-2012, 03:47 PM

Just wondering if he had a little help from the medicine cabinet.

What is the conventional wisdom about tennis players from the past? Did they dope? And if not, when did this start? Did Borg dope? Connors?

McEnroe just indulged in recreational drugs but I really doubt he doped. He could have gotten a nice stamina boost from simply quitting his drinking and hard partying though, so the doping claim for McEnroe doesn't make sense.

billnepill · 08-03-2012, 03:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YouCantBeSerious

Just wondering if he had a little help from the medicine cabinet.

What is the conventional wisdom about tennis players from the past? Did they dope? And if not, when did this start? Did Borg dope? Connors?

McEnroe just indulged in recreational drugs but I really doubt he doped. He could have gotten a nice stamina boost from simply quitting his drinking and hard partying though, so the doping claim for McEnroe doesn't make sense.

What drugs did McEnroe use - is it cocaine as I read somewhere?

YouCantBeSerious · 08-03-2012, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by billnepill

What drugs did McEnroe use - is it cocaine as I read somewhere?

It's widely believed booze and cocaine. Like about 90% Americans of the time.

Evan77 · 08-03-2012, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YouCantBeSerious

It's widely believed booze and cocaine. Like about 90% Americans of the time.

funny. old guys used to drink between points, so I heard. imagine top players having some beer instead of Gatorade today

.
like Nadal talking to a ball boy 'boy I'll have a double vodka on the rocks and make sure it is perfectly aligned with my water bottles'
Fed 'boy I'll have another Cosmo'
Novak 'boy I'll have another scotch'

YouCantBeSerious · 08-03-2012, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Evan77

funny. old guys used to drink between points, so I heard. imagine top players having some beer instead of Gatorade today

.
like Nadal talking to a ball boy 'boy I'll have a double vodka on the rocks and make sure it is perfectly aligned with my water bottles'
Fed 'boy I'll have another Cosmo'
Novak 'boy I'll have another scotch'

LOL. Well done!

However, I think you got Fed and Novak's drinks mixed up.

Got it?

kishnabe · 08-03-2012, 04:22 PM

Yes Laver doped in 1969.....an old aged Laver beating younger guys and surviving numerous 5 setters against Roche. jk

Evan77 · 08-03-2012, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YouCantBeSerious

LOL. Well done!

However, I think you got Fed and Novak's drinks mixed up.

Got it?

well, Fed is more metro/classy than Novak, so I think Cosmo is a perfect drink for him

.

YouCantBeSerious · 08-03-2012, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Evan77

well, Fed is more metro/classy than Novak, so I think Cosmo is a perfect drink for him

.

Dude, I meant it because of the "Scotch" thing. Murray is from Scotland, ain't he?

Evan77 · 08-03-2012, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YouCantBeSerious

Dude, I meant it because of the "Scotch" thing. Murray is from Scotland, ain't he?

shoot, missed it, ... I had too much beer today after work, feel kinda slow

good one tho

JustBob · 08-03-2012, 04:44 PM

Laver had weekly vegemite injections into his left arm. Did you see the size of that thing?

JustBob · 08-03-2012, 04:46 PM

I don't get it, Murray isn't from Scotchland.

(joking

)

hoodjem · 08-03-2012, 04:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YouCantBeSerious

Just wondering if he [Laver] had a little help from the medicine cabinet.

What is the conventional wisdom about tennis players from the past? Did they dope? And if not, when did this start?

It had not been invented.

YouCantBeSerious · 08-03-2012, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hoodjem

It had not been invented.

What hadn't been invented? Isn't cocaine considered a doping substance, for example?

YouCantBeSerious · 08-03-2012, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Evan77

shoot, missed it, ... I had too much beer today after work, feel kinda slow

good one tho

I'll have my beer tomorrow. Drinking rules. Whoo hoo!

ollinger · 08-03-2012, 05:13 PM

Anabolic steroid extracts preceded Laver's era, going back to Tilden's era and perhaps before, in the form of crude testicular extracts. However, the means to DETECT use was not available until perhaps late in Laver's career, perhaps later. Radioimmunoassay was initially developed in the late 1950s (by my old Mt. Sinai Med School faculty mate, Rosalyn Yalow, who received the Nobel Prize for this in 1977) but assays for most types of molecules did not become available until the late 60s or sometime in the 70s.

YouCantBeSerious · 08-03-2012, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ollinger

Anabolic steroid extracts preceded Laver's era, going back to Tilden's era and perhaps before, in the form of crude testicular extracts. However, the means to DETECT use was not available until perhaps late in Laver's career, perhaps later. Radioimmunoassay was initially developed in the late 1950s (by my old Mt. Sinai Med School faculty mate, Rosalyn Yalow, who received the Nobel Prize for this in 1977) but assays for most types of molecules did not become available until the late 60s or sometime in the 70s.

Thank you for the excellent background from a very informed source.

I guess the question remains: Did they use these substances back then?

Kunohara · 08-03-2012, 06:19 PM

Laver was clearly doped... on success and winning.

Bartelby · 08-03-2012, 06:21 PM

If you couldn't test for them, the only way you'd know that they used them was through confession or admission by others.

Not likely to happen if it hasn't already.

Kunohara · 08-03-2012, 06:23 PM

Well, the fact that Laver isnt dead yet, pretty much convinces me he was clean !

Shangri La · 08-03-2012, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kunohara

Well, the fact that Laver isnt dead yet, pretty much convinces me he was clean !

or he's still doping now!

08-03-2012, 03:47 PM	#1
YouCantBeSerious Banned Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Land of the Free Buffet Posts: 974	Did Laver dope? Just wondering if he had a little help from the medicine cabinet. What is the conventional wisdom about tennis players from the past? Did they dope? And if not, when did this start? Did Borg dope? Connors? McEnroe just indulged in recreational drugs but I really doubt he doped. He could have gotten a nice stamina boost from simply quitting his drinking and hard partying though, so the doping claim for McEnroe doesn't make sense.

08-03-2012, 04:22 PM	#6
kishnabe G.O.A.T. Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Toronto Posts: 14,279	Yes Laver doped in 1969.....an old aged Laver beating younger guys and surviving numerous 5 setters against Roche. jk __________________ Why fight over who is G.O.A.T., when the world is just an abstract of reality~ http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/525347

08-03-2012, 06:19 PM	#17
Kunohara Professional Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Montreal, Qc Posts: 941	Laver was clearly doped... on success and winning. __________________ You were probably running in tennis shoes instead of running with your 'human shoes' - Tennismonkey

08-03-2012, 06:23 PM	#19
Kunohara Professional Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Montreal, Qc Posts: 941	Well, the fact that Laver isnt dead yet, pretty much convinces me he was clean ! __________________ You were probably running in tennis shoes instead of running with your 'human shoes' - Tennismonkey

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