Murray criticises doping offence duo

Mainad

Bionic Poster
Andy Murray pulls no punches when giving his views on the doping controversy surrounding Troicki and Cilic:

"Andy Murray has told BBC Sport that both Viktor Troicki and Marin Cilic were "unprofessional" in the actions which led to them being banned for doping offences.

The Wimbledon champion believes there "almost has to be zero tolerance" so that players do not think they can get away with cheating, and sport can regain the public's trust.

Serbia's Troicki is serving a one-year ban for failing to undergo a blood test in Monte Carlo in April, while Cilic of Croatia served a four-month ban for ingesting a banned substance contained in supplements bought by his mother from a chemist in Monte Carlo.

Murray says players need to know the rules, and that there can be "no excuses" for accidentally taking a substance on the banned list.

"I personally myself would never go and buy something over the counter in a pharmacy - it's just unprofessional," he said.

"I think 10 or 15 years ago, when people didn't think drug taking happened in sport, people might have thought 'yeah, we can just buy stuff over the counter in any old pharmacy'. Look, we can't do that, you have to accept it."

Troicki, 27, who did not give a sample because he said he felt unwell, claimed the doping control officer told him he would be able to return the following day to take the test, something the officer denies.

He did give a blood sample 24 hours after the initial request and it showed no irregularities.

Cilic, 25, a former Australian Open semi-finalist, tested positive for banned supplement nikethamide in April.

His ban was reduced from nine months to four months after an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) was partially upheld, allowing him to return to competition in October.

Murray, who ended Britain's 77-year wait for a first Wimbledon men's singles champion in July, has been forced to miss the ongoing ATP World Tour Finals in London following back surgery."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/tennis/24872914
 
F

FedererWinsWimbledon2014

Guest
100% agree.

Murray and Federer have really taken a stand against doping. Respect and big thanks to them, a credit to the sport of tennis.

Murray deserves the sportsmanship award.
 
T

Topslice

Guest
Murray's stance on doping is clear. He also said what a joke it was that bloodbags were ordered to be destroyed by the court in the Fuentes case a while back. He implied it was a cover up which it most likely was. Fuentes also said Spanish tennis players were involved so some Spanish players out there were doping but we will probably never know now thanks to the judge.

If you were a top player dedicating your life to tennis, training so hard and sacrificing so much to be at the top, you too would hate to think somebody out there was cheating the system.
 
If my life depended on it and I had to pick 1 top 10 player to be clean

I would pick Andy.

He would be my third choice after the two Spaniards, he got super fit in a short amount of time when he first came on the scene. The bigger the players staff usually the more chance of someone giving him something even without his knowledge like Rudeski.
 

sureshs

Bionic Poster
Good to see Murray is a "company man".
images
 

*Sparkle*

Professional
Good to see Murray is a "company man".

Yeah, who wants multi-millionaire athletes to take a professional approach to their work or care about the reputation of their sport and the future of tennis?:shock::confused:

Tennis players should be more rock'n'roll. More drugs please and practising is for girls.:-?
 

Crisstti

Legend
Well said Andy. I would be mad if I had to put up with that kind of crap, and then players can get away with minimal sanctions, having any excuse accepted...
 

Team10

Hall of Fame
Murray telling it like it is again. I used to not like Murray at all, but he's growing on me.
 

*Sparkle*

Professional
Murray and Federer both seem to understand why you have to play by the rules. They get that a sample the next day doesn't cut it, and that tennis players need to take responsibility for helping tennis to demonstrate that it does take anti-doping measures seriously.

Djokovic can whine all he likes about the nasty authorities ruining his friend's career, but ultimately, all tennis players will suffer financially if the image of the sport is tarnished. Unless tennis can be pro-active to make sure it has the systems and data in place to demonstrate it's as clean as reasonably possible, sponsors will avoid it and invest in other sports that have put the effort in.
 

Chico

Banned
Disagree with Murray. Actually quite disappointed by these comments. Expected much better and more intelligent reaction from him. This is just a PR BS.

Protecting bureaucracy, corruption and bad practices is not supporting the fight against doping. WADA and other agencies and organizations involved here need to look at the mirror and make changes to improve themselves instead of insisting on outdated rules and fruitless witch hunts against players who are actually clean.
 
Last edited:

Sid_Vicious

G.O.A.T.
I wouldn't call the current Wimbledon champion a useless tool. What have you achieved in comparison?
I would agree. However,this is coming from a guy who called Moya a "spanish clown" who should keep his mouth shut just because he made an obvious statement: Murray is not yet in Djokovic or Nadal's league in consistency and greatness. What exactly are your credentials? Murray's biggest fanboy?
 

*Sparkle*

Professional
Expecting people to take tests when required isn't "protecting bureaucracy, corruption and bad practices".

Corruption is when people bend or ignore the rules to suit their own needs. He's against that.

Taking tests when required isn't a witch hunt and doesn't hurt any clean player.
 

Terenigma

G.O.A.T.
If my life depended on it and I had to pick 1 top 10 player to be clean

I would pick Andy.

After i read this i had a look at the top 20 and its really hard to say for certain that there is no players there that dont dope or do some kind of enhancement drugs. My top 3 who im fairly sure havent or dont show signs of it would prolly be

1) Murray
2) Nishikori
3) Gasquet

I really want to believe Federer has never done it but after his 2012, to have a year like he has is such a huge drop in form this year... it makes me think he did something during that year.
 

rossi46

Professional
After i read this i had a look at the top 20 and its really hard to say for certain that there is no players there that dont dope or do some kind of enhancement drugs. My top 3 who im fairly sure havent or dont show signs of it would prolly be

1) Murray
2) Nishikori
3) Gasquet

I really want to believe Federer has never done it but after his 2012, to have a year like he has is such a huge drop in form this year... it makes me think he did something during that year.

The only reason stopping Gasquet from doping is that it doesn't actually help with mental fragility.
 

Gaab

Rookie
The only reason stopping Gasquet from doping is that it doesn't actually help with mental fragility.
Are you kidding me? There are PEDs to improve anything useful in a competitive context. Did you know that even some chess players were doping? Some substances can help tremendously with concentration and focus.

Otherwise, clever declaration from Murray. Enough with those "I did not know/I was not told that". The guys are professionals, for Pete's sake, not irresponsible 5 year-olds.
 
Last edited:

dh003i

Legend
After i read this i had a look at the top 20 and its really hard to say for certain that there is no players there that dont dope or do some kind of enhancement drugs. My top 3 who im fairly sure havent or dont show signs of it would prolly be

1) Murray
2) Nishikori
3) Gasquet

I really want to believe Federer has never done it but after his 2012, to have a year like he has is such a huge drop in form this year... it makes me think he did something during that year.

With all the comments Federer has made about how there should be more doping tests and how it should be more strict, it is difficult to believe he is doping. Also, nothing has changed from 2012-2013 enforcement-wise, so if Fed was doping in 2012, why would he stop now? I don't think he is. But I'm also going to give all of the players the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise, even those who criticise the policies.

As for any questions about the professionalism of the DCOs and doctors who ask for and administer the tests, I have a simple solution. GoCam. They should wear a go-cam to document their surprise visit to the player. This way, there is nothing to dispute. Does WADA live in a technological bubble, or do they just think there is no need for them to prove that they are professional? The GoCam solution to these kinds of disputes is so obvious that it is difficult to believe they hadn't though of it.
 

Gaab

Rookie
As for any questions about the professionalism of the DCOs and doctors who ask for and administer the tests, I have a simple solution. GoCam. They should wear a go-cam to document their surprise visit to the player. This way, there is nothing to dispute. Does WADA live in a technological bubble, or do they just think there is no need for them to prove that they are professional? The GoCam solution to these kinds of disputes is so obvious that it is difficult to believe they hadn't though of it.
Many players already complain that surprise visits are already a breach of their privacy. I'm not sure they'll respond favorably to have these "breaches of privacy" filmed and archived :twisted:
 

*Sparkle*

Professional
Filming would be a completely unnecessary invasion of privacy.

All they need to do is to make sure there are always two officials present. One should be medically qualified to take the sample, and the other one qualified in the legal side of things. Where doubt exists, the player or legal person could call the tournament director or any other on site official.

Although I'm not sure if any player would even attempt to claim that they didn't realise providing samples when required was compulsory. It wasn't very plausible the first time, but who would believe it now?
 

fps

Legend
I'm on Murray's side. I think the players need to be educated, the culture needs to be changed, and guidance needs to be given to the testers also so situations like this don't happen again. If a player is asked for a sample though, they have to give one, simple.

This forum alone shows the whispers growing into shouts of suspicion, and not JUST because some ignorant people don't understand how people's bodies are different and look different, but because the players themselves are coming out and saying "look, WE don't think there's enough testing".

The credibility of the sport is at stake. Luckily tennis is one where many factors come into player in a way that they don't in, say, sprinting. You have to be smart, and brave, as well as fit, and enduring. But if a player is trying to get ahead in a way closed to his or her fellow competitors, you have to be able to close that off.
 

TennisBro

Hall of Fame
Oh Andy is at it again. He loves making statements which is one reason Novak may just have hired him. Not everyone is up to take the Novak Diet.
 

Mainad

Bionic Poster
Oh Andy is at it again. He loves making statements which is one reason Novak may just have hired him. Not everyone is up to take the Novak Diet.

Again lol? This is a statement he made back in 2013 but I've no doubt he still stands by it.
 
Top