Cristophe Rochus: Doping rampant, mentions Nadal and Soderling

[President]

Originally Posted by Sid_Vicious

I really doubt it. Djokovic is a wealthy man. If he wanted to use something, he would probably hire professionals to help him do it and make sure his tracks are completely covered. Popping amphetamine pills would be extremely irresponsible and stupid. They conduct drug tests during grand slams and amphetamines show up in your urine for 2-4 days. Djokovic would be risking a lot for a cheap buzz during the match.

Lance Armstrong never failed a drug test There are masking agents and gourmet drugs that the testers have never even heard of.

MLB has a big problem with pitchers on amphetamines.

[bullfan]

Originally Posted by fedfan46

this. Federer has not undergone visible body changes that would highlight steriod use at anytime during his career. In fact, his play has dropped off! Fed isn't a doper...

This is a beyond absurd commentary. Have you seen what Lance Armstrong looks like, oh wait he has a very slender physique. It's very obvious that there are different cocktails out there. Some athletes get larger and some don't.

[Sid_Vicious]

Originally Posted by President

Lance Armstrong never failed a drug test There are masking agents and gourmet drugs that the testers have never even heard of.

MLB has a big problem with pitchers on amphetamines.

I see your point, but I still don't think its amphetamines for Djokovic. Basically, we are saying that Djokovic is clutch in big moments and that could indicate amphetamine use. However, Djokovic is one of the slowest starters on tour. He lost the first set of every final round grand slam match he played last year. If Djokovic was that desperate for concentration, he would just step out on the court fully loaded on the amphetamines to prevent him from making pathetic starts to big tennis matches.

[Moose Malloy]

no blood tests in the last 6 months?

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - Novak Djokovic slammed Lance Armstrong's long-delayed doping admissions, saying the seven-time Tour de France winner is a disgrace to cycling and ``should suffer for his lies.''

At the same time, the No. 1-ranked man in tennis says the drug testing program in his sport is ``good,'' while conceding that for the last six months he hasn't had a blood test in the anti-doping program.

``I think it's a disgrace for the sport to have an athlete like this,'' Djokovic said of Armstrong after his straight-set win over Radek Stepanek. ``It would be ridiculous for him to decline and refuse all the charges because it has been proven. He cheated many people around the world with his career, with his life story.''

The Armstrong doping saga also raised questions over drug testing in tennis, and Djokovic said he supported the International Tennis Federation's current program.

``At least from my perspective, it's really good,'' he said, outlining the current regime where tennis players have to give anti-doping authorities details of their whereabouts each day, in case they're required for out-of-competition testing.

Djokovic admitted that the blood tests that can detect the presence of EPO, a known oxygen booster in the blood which could help a tennis player cope better in long rallies and extended matches, have been a rarity for him lately.

He was asked to respond to reports that ITF records show that in 2011, only 18 blood tests were taken of the top players.

``Yeah, I wasn't tested with blood for last six, seven months,'' Djokovic said. ``It was more regular ... two, three years ago. I don't know the reason why they stopped it.''

[Clarky21]

Originally Posted by Moose Malloy

no blood tests in the last 6 months?

I read this earlier and it did not surprise me in the slightest. The testing in tennis is a huge joke and anyone can get away with being doped to the gills with no trouble at all. Cvac is also against the biological passport; I wonder why that is?

[President]

Originally Posted by Sid_Vicious

I see your point, but I still don't think its amphetamines for Djokovic. Basically, we are saying that Djokovic is clutch in big moments and that could indicate amphetamine use. However, Djokovic is one of the slowest starters on tour. He lost the first set of every final round grand slam match he played last year. If Djokovic was that desperate for concentration, he would just step out on the court fully loaded on the amphetamines to prevent him from making pathetic starts to big tennis matches.

I don't necessarily think Djokovic is on amphetamines (though I do think he is on PEDs) but was just offering an example as to how drugs can improve mental performance as well as physical.

[heninfan99]

I'd like to know what the end game is for the people that believe everyone is cheating? Make it legal? Go back and strip away trophies starting with Korda?

Dr. Zaius: Don't look for it, Taylor. You may not like what you find.

[oneness]

Tennis players being asked about Lance.

http://www.tennispanorama.com/archiv...medium=twitter

[heninfan99]

Great link. Thanks!

Originally Posted by oneness

Tennis players being asked about Lance.

http://www.tennispanorama.com/archiv...medium=twitter

[ctjpm]

Originally Posted by Flash O'Groove

In 2010, Djokovic won Dubai (ATP 500), and reached the USOpen final. He beated less than five top 10 players.
In 2011, Djokovic won 3 slams, 5 masters 1000, went 10'000 - 1 against top 10 players.

It is the biggest improvement in the history of tennis.

The opposition was somewhat lacking. Similar to Hingis '96/'97.
Federer, Nadal & Murray won 12 titles between them, Djokovic was accounted for once and that was a retirement.
Murray lost 3 consecutive matches after AO. Played Djokovic close in Rome and took a set off Rafa at Monte Carlo. Not really a vintage year, highlight was probably barely losing a point during a 6-0 final set Tokyo drubbing.
Federer lost yet again from mp up in NYC and lost from two sets up at Wimbledon, 1st time in 179(?) matches. Lost to Nadal indoors. Most importantly didn't win a major, 1st time since 2002.
Nadal having never lost to Djokovic on clay, loses two finals in consecutive weeks. Plays poorly in Monte Carlo, unheard of. Morphs into a different player during IW final - not for the better. Loses to Dodig, very nearly to Verdasco and then to Fish during summer hard court swing. Stellar.

[rafan]

What a load of rubbish. For a start tennis is a much different sport to riding a bike - what I consider just a sit down sport. Tennis takes a great deal of skill and thought. You can have days in tennis whereby nothing works and no drug will alter your performance. Also drugs can only work for so long and then they simply don't. Our top players have been repeating incredible performances for years and what many of them who take time out are simply in need of a break and quite rightly so.

[fedfan46]

Originally Posted by Clarky21

You do not have to be muscle bound to be pumped full of peds. People need to get with the times badly on this subject.

Yeah ok. You can't argue with me that Fed's play hasn't dropped off substantially since 08. If he was using PED's, that wouldn't be the case.

[Relinquis]

i've been looking at the current australian open interviews, seems like the press are asking players about this a lot now.

it would be good to see interviews wiht the suits that make the decisions, rather than just hte players.

[canuckfan]

Originally Posted by Clarky21

I read this earlier and it did not surprise me in the slightest. The testing in tennis is a huge joke and anyone can get away with being doped to the gills with no trouble at all. Cvac is also against the biological passport; I wonder why that is?

The PED testing standards in tennis are ridiculously inadequate -- they are nothing more than a public relations exercise. The fact remains that the ATP has a vested financial interest in entertaining their viewers with artificially enhanced performances. The testing standards in cycling have been MUCH more demanding than those used in tennis, especially in the past decade as cycling has struggled to rid itself of the rampant doping scandals. And yet, we see that in Armstrong's case, he was able to test clean for many years. When a player is only required to give a blood sample once or twice a year, it is laughable. Urine testing is simply incomplete. Any professional doping system will avoid detection easily.

EPO, blood doping, HGH and other PED's have been floating around the athletics world for DECADES. The profits from cheating outweigh the profits from testing. The benefits in tennis from increased speed and endurance are enormous -- imagine having extra time to hit the ball on EVERY shot. It increases your options, your consistency, and the ability to hit with power. It also shrinks the court for your opponents and increases the mental pressure on an opponent during a match and during key points.

Until the sports associations are as serious about testing as they are about profits, doping will continue to be part of the game.

[marc45]

murray weighed in today and said it wasn't impossible, as rochus said, to play a tough five-setter at major and then come back with another good performance....said with a day off and good training it is, even if it hurts