The International Tennis Integrity Agency revealed on Wednesday that former top-10 professional tennis player Fernando Verdasco has accepted a voluntary provisional doping suspension lasting two months after testing positive for medication prescribed for ADHD. Verdasco, who recently turned 39, explained that he was using methylphenidate as part of his ADHD treatment, but he inadvertently neglected to renew his therapeutic use exemption for the medication. The World Anti-Doping Agency has now granted him an exemption going forward. The positive test occurred during an ATP Challenger tournament in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in February.
In a news release, the integrity agency acknowledged that Verdasco had no intention to cheat, and his violation was unintentional. They determined that he bore no significant fault or negligence, leading to the reduction of what could have been a two-year suspension to a two-month suspension. Verdasco will be eligible to resume competition on January 8.
A four-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist, Verdasco achieved this status most recently in 2013 at Wimbledon, where he lost a five-set match after holding a two-set lead to eventual champion Andy Murray. He reached a career-best ranking of No. 7 in April 2009 and is currently ranked No. 125 in the