Monday, 23 December 2024
TWO-TIME GRAND SLAM WINNER ADMITS TO DOPING AS TENNIS IS ROCKED BY ANOTHER DRUG SCANDAL
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| AP Photo |
- Max Purcell has admitted to breaching tennis' anti-doping regulations
- The two-time Grand Slam winner admitted he was 'devastated' by the news
Australian tennis player Max Purcell has elected to enter a voluntary provisional suspension after admitting to breaching the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP).
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced that the 26-year-old had contravened Article 2.2 of the Tennis Anti-Doping Program, which relates to the 'use of a Prohibited Method'.
The ITIA said that his provisional suspension came into effect on December 12, 2024, but did not stipulate how long the ban would go on for.
Purcell, a two-time doubles Grand Slam winner, has also taken to Instagram to admit he was 'devastated' by the news and revealed that the breach occurred when he had 'unknowingly' received a transfusion of vitamins that was above the 'allowable limit of 100ml'.
He added that he had told the medical agency that he was an athlete and needed the IV to be below 100ml.
As announced by the ITIA today, I have voluntarily accepted a provisional suspension since I unknowingly received an IV infusion of vitamins above the allowable limit of 100ml,' Purcell wrote on Instagram.
'Until last week when I received medical records from a clinic showing that the amount of an IV I had received was above 100ml, I was fully convinced I had done everything to ensure that I had followed the WADA regulations and methods.
'But the records show that the IV was over that 100ml limit, even though I told the medical clinic that I was a professional athlete and needed the IV to be below 100ml.
'This news was devastating to me because I pride myself on being an athlete who always makes sure that everything is WADA safe. I volunteered this information to the ITIA and have been as transparent as possible in trying to put this whole situation behind me. I look forward to being back on the court soon.'
Purcell will now be banned for coaching or playing at any authorised or sanctioned event by the ITIA during his provisional suspension.
The ITIA wrote in a statement: 'The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) today confirms that Australian tennis player Max Purcell has elected to enter into a voluntary provisional suspension under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP).
'Twenty-six-year-old Purcell, currently ranked world number 12 in doubles, has admitted to a breach of Article 2.2 of the TADP relating to the use of a Prohibited Method, and requested to enter into a provisional suspension on 10 December 2024.
'The suspension came into effect on 12 December 2024, and time served under provisional suspension will be credited against any future sanction.'
Purcell partnered with Jordan Thompson this year to reach the doubles final at Wimbledon, before going on to clinch the men's doubles title at the US Open, defeating Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow.
He had previously partnered with Matt Ebden to win the men's doubles at Wimbledon in 2022, beating Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic in the final.
The 26-year-old is one of multiple players to have been embroiled in controversy with anti-doping authorities this year, after Iga Swiatek accepted a one-month ban for testing positive for a banned substance in November.
The ITIA had accepted that Swiatek's positive tests came through contamination of non-prescription medication melatonin.
Jannik Sinner, who won this year's men's singles title at the Australian Open and the US Open, is another to have made headlines in March after he tested positive twice for the banned steroid clostebol.
He was subsequently cleared of any wrongdoing by the ITIA, who claimed that there was 'no fault or negligence' from the Italian.
Shortly after the announcement, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over the decision. The case is not likely to be heard until March 2025.
- ED CARRUTHERS FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA
LIVERPOOL'S MOHAMED SALAH SETS PREMIER LEAGUE RECORD IN WIN
If this is to be Mohamed Salah's final season at Liverpool, he is going out with a bang.
The Egypt forward scored two goals and set up two more in Liverpool's wild 6-3 win at Tottenham on Sunday to become the first player to reach double figures for both goals and assists before Christmas in a Premier League season.
Sunday, 22 December 2024
TATUM DRAWS COMPARISON TO BIRD AFTER 40-POINT TRIPLE-DOUBLE
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| Jayson Tatum hit the third triple-double of his career |
CHICAGO -- Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics started slowly, tussling early with the Chicago Bulls.
But the defending NBA champions came on and prevailed 123-98 on Saturday night, with Tatum's 43-point, 16-rebound and 10-assist effort earning the five-time All-Star comparisons to former Celtics great and Hall of Famer Larry Bird.
Tatum's third career triple-double was the first for a Celtics player that included 40 or more points since Bird scored 49 points with 14 rebounds and 12 assists against Portland in a 152-148 double-overtime win March 15, 1992, according to the team.
Tatum emphasized that winning is what matters most, but a little icing on the cake isn't bad.
"Larry Bird is probably the best player to ever wear this uniform," Tatum said. "So any time you accomplish something in the same sentence as him, it's something special, even if you never reach that pinnacle."
Bird finished with 59 triple-doubles in his 13 seasons with Boston. According to the Celtics, Tatum's was the first for the team that included 40 or more points and 15 or more rebounds. Tatum's effort also counted as his sixth straight double-double and 14th this season.
Tatum got rolling in the second quarter, then scored 18 points in the third as Boston used a 19-8 run to open a 93-77 lead heading into the fourth. He finished 16-for-24 from the floor, hitting 9 of 15 3-point attempts. Two free throws rounded out his scoring line.
"As a basketball player, you feel the rhythm, the ball is finding you," Tatum said. "You're just being active all over the place and probably in that third quarter.
"Joe [Mazzulla] just challenges me every night, just to amplify my teammates and figure out ways to dominate all over the court. Obviously tonight, I'm scoring a lot and getting rebounds. It just looks different on a given night."
The game was tied at 42 midway through the second quarter, then the Celtics and Tatum found an offensive rhythm. Boston had a 61-54 lead at the half, using an 8-0 run to open a 12-point lead at one point. Tatum and the Celtics took charge in the third after the Bulls had closed to within five points.
"He went outside what we normally do and that's a testament to him," Mazzulla said. "Just his shot-making, his decision-making, his ability to rebound. I thought he kind of controlled the entire game."
- Associated Press
OLEKSANDR USYK UNANIMOUSLY DEFEATS TYSON FURY IN REMATCH
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- Oleksandr Usyk retained the heavyweight championship with another decision victory over Tyson Fury on Saturday, this time unanimously, in a rematch that was every bit as competitive as their first meeting in May.
Usyk, ESPN's No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer, prevailed by the same score on all three cards: 116-112.
The rounds were difficult to score as Fury found plenty of success, particularly from the southpaw stance as he switched from orthodox, but Usyk (23-0, 14 KOs) enjoyed the bout's most indelible moments.
The Ukrainian, fighting for his war-torn nation, consistently beat the far bigger Fury to the punch and connected on a bevy of overhand lefts.
"I very respect this guy because I think he's very tough," Usyk, 37, told ESPN. " ... Tyson Fury makes me strong. Tyson is a great opponent. Big man. He's a good man. Tyson, a lot of talk but it's just show."
Usyk thanked Fury for an "unbelievable 24 rounds in my career." He called Fury the best opponent he has faced, though he thought the rematch was easier than the first fight.
Fury, 36, believed he did enough to win as he celebrated at the final bell. When the scorecards were announced, he was dejected and left the ring without an interview.
The bout was entertaining from bell to bell, a fast-paced heavyweight matchup that featured few clinches. But it wasn't nearly as thrilling as the first bout (also in Saudi Arabia's capital), which will likely earn Fight of the Year honors.
In that contest for the undisputed heavyweight championship, Usyk floored Fury in Round 9 when the ropes held up the Englishman after 14 unanswered punches. The 10-8 round was the difference on the scorecards.
Fury (34-2-1, 24 KOs) vowed in the lead-up to the rematch that if he simply didn't clown around and thus avoided a 10-8 round, he would even the score and force a trilogy bout. "The Gypsy King" made good on his promise to take the fight more seriously as he didn't taunt Usyk once.
The only time Fury played to the crowd was during his electric entrance as he belted out Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" followed by The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Hypnotize."
"More serious," said Fury, ESPN's No. 2 heavyweight, at the postfight news conference " ... I thought I won the fight again. ... I was on the front foot the entire time."
Fury said he was confident he was ahead entering the final round. His right eye was busted up, but otherwise he never appeared hurt in the fight, unlike the first time around.
"When you don't get the knockout, this is what can happen," he said.
The judges agreed on seven of the 12 rounds. Just two of those were for Fury: Rounds 4 and 5, when he was able to score with his powerful right hand, particularly to the body and with a right uppercut to the chin.
And, as in the first fight, Usyk took over during the second half as he imposed his will. Usyk won Rounds 6, 7, 8, 10 and 11 unanimously as he was able to consistently back up Fury with relentless, savvy pressure and feints.
The overhand left was Usyk's best weapon, and it was often smartly set up with a jab to the body. Usyk conceded 55 pounds to the 281-pound Fury (a career high, though at the weigh-in he stepped on the scale in a leather jacket and Usyk joked that he might have had cheeseburgers in his pocket, too).
And Usyk's superior hand and foot speed were evident as the southpaw was able to evade many of Fury's power shots set up by a beautiful jab. Usyk is the former undisputed cruiserweight champion and now reigns over boxing's glamour division, too, as the best heavyweight of his generation.
The 2012 Olympic gold medalist owns a pair of wins each over two of the sport's top stars, U.K. fighters who have sold out Wembley Stadium several times: Anthony Joshua and Fury.
"I did the best I could," Fury said. "If I could have done more, I would have done it and that's it."
- Mike Coppinger, ESPN Boxing Insider
USYK CEMENTS LEGACY AS BEST HEAVYWEIGHT OF HIS GENERATION
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- With 24 rounds between them and no need for a third bout following another Oleksandr Usyk victory -- this time more clearly than the first bout -- Tyson Fury leaned over and kissed his rival on the head as the heavyweight champion celebrated.
The show of respect isn't surprising after just how grueling these two fights were. With so much at stake -- Fury's quest to regain his titles as a three-time champion and Usyk's push to turn him back again -- it was Usyk who pulled away down the stretch on Saturday night.
Their May meeting, the front-runner for ESPN's Fight of the Year, established Usyk (23-0, 14 KOs) as the world's best heavyweight and No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer in the ESPN rankings. The rematch meant even more. In addition to reinforcing that dual status, a second, more definitive victory cemented Usyk as the best heavyweight of his generation, the greatest fighter in boxing's glamour division since Lennox Lewis retired in 2004, and an all-time great.
When Usyk won gold at the amateur European Championships in 2008, he was a light heavyweight while his Ukrainian countryman, Wladimir Klitschko, reigned as heavyweight champion in the pros. Four years later, Usyk captured gold at the Olympic Games in London as a heavyweight while Anthony Joshua won a gold medal at super heavyweight. Years after that, as a pro, Usyk cleaned out the cruiserweight division as undisputed champion and defeated Joshua twice at heavyweight to become unified champion.
The May split-decision victory over Fury (34-2-1, 24 KOs) earned Usyk, 37, the undisputed championship at heavyweight, too. And in that fight, he came close to stopping Fury in Round 9 when he landed 14 unanswered punches and delivered Fury's eighth trip to the canvas of his career.
Seven months later, there was no seminal moment with either fighter in serious trouble. And while the bout was entertaining, it wasn't nearly as thrilling as the first meeting. Despite no knockdowns scored, Usyk's victory was never in doubt this time, winning via unanimous decision (116-112, 116-112, 116-112).
"I very respect this guy because I think he's very tough," Usyk told ESPN. "... Tyson Fury makes me strong. Tyson is a great opponent. Big man. He's a good man. Tyson, a lot of talk but it's just show."
Fury was adamant that he deserved the nod. When asked if he felt Usyk's spirit in the bout, Fury responded, "Yeah, Christmas spirit, he received a Christmas gift."
Usyk conceded this fight was easier than the first time.
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| Oleksandr Usyk, above, retained his WBC, WBO and WBA heavyweight titles with another decision victory over Tyson Fury on Saturday. Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing |
Fury, 36, boxed well, particularly when he switched stances and fired a southpaw jab followed by punishing left hands. But like the first fight, he faded down the stretch. He lost Rounds 6, 7, 8, 10 and 11 on all three scorecards.
"When you don't get the knockout, this is what can happen," Fury said. "... I did the best I could. If I could have done more, I would have done it, and that's it."
Usyk left no doubt he was the better fighter, even if many rounds were very close. A third bout isn't necessary. Two future Hall of Famers met over 24 rounds and Usyk proved that he was the better man despite a 50-plus-pound disadvantage and giving up nearly six inches in height.
Usyk will fight on, of course. There are tens of millions to be made as his star continues to grow and he brings more attention (and pride) to war-torn Ukraine. Daniel Dubois, whom Usyk KO'd in nine rounds in August 2023 in Poland, interrupted Usyk's postfight interview to call for a rematch.
"I want my revenge," said Dubois, who picked up the IBF title Usyk was stripped of in June with a fifth-round KO of Joshua in September.
Usyk quickly responded that he was ready for a rematch, but that fight won't approach the marquee stage he enjoyed this year with two wins over Fury, one of the sport's top stars. The first Dubois bout wasn't remotely competitive, and Usyk scored the KO with a jab.
England's Dubois has enjoyed an impressive run since with three consecutive wins inside the distance (TKO victories over Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic before the upset of Joshua).
Dubois, however, must push past a tough test against former titleholder Joseph Parker on Feb. 22 in Riyadh. With Joshua and Fury out of the way for good, there's no megafight on the horizon for Usyk.
Fury, meanwhile, could face Joshua in the loser's bracket in a fight that will still be highly anticipated for their combined star power, especially in the U.K. And no matter where Fury goes from here, he'll go down as an all-time great.
But he'll always rank behind Usyk.
- Mike Coppinger, ESPN Boxing Insider
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