American tennis player Jenson Brooksby says he was tested for doping "just hours after" his 18-month suspension for missing three tests was announced.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced Brooksby was banned after an independent tribunal determined he committed three whereabouts failures in a 12-month period.
The ITIA said Brooksby accepted that his "whereabouts failures" for two of the missed tests "were valid" and the tribunal found his degree of fault for the other test "was high."
The American, who achieved his highest career ranking of No 33 last year, previously accepted a voluntary provisional suspension and his sanction will be backdated to July 5. The sanction will end on January 4, 2025, according to the ITIA.
"Whoever made that decision does not care about the players' mental health," Brooksby wrote on social media.
"This is my fifth test since March 2023 including one test outside my one hour window," he wrote. "I have never failed a test."
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Brooksby statement published to his Instagram account
"I am very disappointed to learn that I have been suspended for 18 months, for having three missed tests. I understand that it is my responsibility to learn and grow. I accepted that two of my missed tests were my fault, but I continue to maintain that my June 4, 2022 missed test should be set aside. On that date, I was in my hotel room for the entirety of my one-hour testing window. The hotel room had been booked for the first part of my stay in the name of my physio (who was staying with me) because the ATP did not provide me with a room until June 4. Starting on June 4, the room was in my name, but I had asked that my name be added to the room days before that, and had even given my passport to the hotel front desk when I needed a new key - if my name was not on the room before I showed my passport on June 4, then I'm not sure why the hotel gave me a key. For some reason, on the morning of June 4, the hotel told the Doping Control Officer that I had not yet checked in, but they did show him their computer screen which already had my room number listed on it. Even having that information, the Doping Control Office never asked the hotel to call my room, so I did not know the Doping Control Officer was there to test me - no call was made to my hotel room for the entire hour, and the Doping Control Officer only called my cell phone (which was on silent) in the last four minutes of the testing window (at 6:56am). Had the Doping Control Officer called my hotel room, I would have for sure been tested, because I was awake and had nothing to hide."
Under antidoping rules, athletes can be penalised without a positive test if they have three "whereabout failures" within 12 months.
"The whereabouts programme is a vital tool in maintaining a clean sport," ITIA CEO Karen Moorhouse said in a statement. "No one wants players to fall foul of the rules in this way."
Brooksby, who turns 23 on Thursday, now has a three-week window in which to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
"I intend to appeal this decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport," he said. "I have been fighting injuries for almost a year, and my return to the sport I love will unfortunately be delayed a little bit longer.
"But I will be back, and I hope it will be soon."
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He is currently ranked down at No 301 after going most of the season without competing after requiring two operations for dislocated wrist tendons: on his left arm in March, and on his right in May.
His last match on tour came at the Australian Open in January.
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