- Swedish tennis player Mikael Ymer has declared his retirement from tennis
- His efforts to appeal his two-year doping ban by the International Tennis Federation hit a brickwall
- The 24-year-old tested positive for ADRV in a three out-of-competition in January 2022
Swedish tennis player Mikael Ymer has declared his retirement from tennis after his efforts to appeal a doping ban instituted by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) hit a snag.
The 24-year-old tested positive for ADRV in a three out-of-competition in January 2022. He first contested the allegations and claimed that a neutral panel had exonerated him in June 2022.
However, the ITF appealed the ruling, and in July, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) imposed an 18-month sentence in addition to partially upholding the two-year ban.
He said in his retirement message that it was an amazing ride being a tennis player and wished his friends the best moving forward.
Mikael Ymer. Photo/ATP Tour
“I’ve decided to retire from professional tennis. Thank you all for the amazing memories! What a ride it’s been! I wish all my old colleagues well going forward in competition,” Ymer posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Ymer and his older brother Elias played for Sweden in the Davis Cup while he held a high world ranking of 50.
He accepted the first two whereabouts failures on April 22 and August 10, 2021, but he disputed the third failure on November 7 and put the fault on a breakdown in contact with his agent.
Anti-doping rule violations are deemed to have occurred after three whereabouts failures in a 12-month period.
The doping case against Ymer was the first major doping scandal in Swedish tennis in recent years. It came at a time when the sport was already under scrutiny following a number of high-profile doping cases, including those of Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams years ago.
Ymer’s retirement is a blow to Swedish tennis, as he was seen as one of the country’s brightest prospects. He had won two ATP Challenger Tour titles and reached the quarterfinals of the ATP Tour event in Winston-Salem in 2021.
Mikael Ymer. Photo/ArchySport
His doping case also raised questions about the ITF’s anti-doping procedures. Some critics argue that the ITF should have been more lenient in Ymer’s case, given that he has never been accused of using banned substances before.
The ITF has defended its decision, saying that it is committed to ensuring a level playing field for all tennis players.
The organization has also said that it will continue to work with players to educate them about the importance of anti-doping compliance.
Ymer is the second tennis player to battle doping charges since 2022 after former world No 1 Simona Halep.
The Romanian player is currently serving a provisional ban from playing tennis after testing positive for banned substances in 2022.
She tested positive for the anti-anaemia drug Roxadustat during the US Open in 2022. Roxadustat is a banned substance because it increases the production of red blood cells, which, when taken, improves endurance.
Halep has maintained her innocence since the results were made public, but the process of clearing her name has been lengthy and frustrating.
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