Rafael Nadal wins defamation case against Roselyne Bachelot
"When I filed the lawsuit against Mrs Bachelot, I intended not only to defend my integrity and my image as an athlete, but also the values I have defended all my career"
Thursday 16 November 2017 19:19, UK
Rafael Nadal has won a defamation case against former French health and sports minister Roselyne Bachelot after she accused him of doping on television.
Bachelot, the former Minister for Health and Sport, alleged to the D8 channel in March 2016 that when Nadal was sidelined by a knee injury for seven months in 2012 it was actually because he had tested positive for a banned substance.
Nadal took action and, after the case went to court, Bachelot was ordered to pay damages of 10,000 euros (£8,927), which the tennis player will donate to a French charity.
Nadal expressed his "utmost respect and confidence in the French legal system" after the ruling.
The Spaniard, who has had to pull out of this week's ATP Finals in London due to more knee trouble, said in a statement: "I would like to reiterate my respect for the legal procedure and French tribunals.
"We have been made aware of the decision by which Mrs Bachelot has been found guilty of defamation.
"When I filed the lawsuit against Mrs Bachelot, I intended not only to defend my integrity and my image as an athlete, but also the values I have defended all my career.
"I also wish to stop any public figure from making insulting or false allegations against an athlete using the media, without any evidence or foundation, and to go unpunished.
"The motivation, as I have always said, was not financial. As the tribunal considered there has been wrong-doing and the sentence recognises the right to damages.
"The compensation will be paid back in full to an non-governmental organisation or foundation in France."
His lawyer, Patrick Maisonneuve, told the court in October that the doping accusation could have had "major consequences" for Nadal concerning his "existing or future sponsors".
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