Tighter rules on the whereabouts of tennis players and doping tests will be introduced from 2027, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced. Players will have to specify a 60-minute window every day during a tournament in which they can be tested.
The change affects the current exemption for the competitive period. Currently, players from the international registered pool are not required to specify such a time slot for dates that fall within the period of a tournament in which they participate. The exemption does not apply to events organized by major sports organizations.
This does not mean that tennis players cannot be tested during a tournament. ITIA specifies that players can be tested at any time, including outside the specified 60-minute window. “Players are regularly reminded that they can be tested at any time“, the agency said.
The package of changes also provides for a more flexible approach to sanctions for certain substances. Exceptions will be made where they are used for rehabilitation and have not had a direct impact on improving sports performance.
The detailed rules for these cases have not yet been announced. ITIA expects to provide more information in November, including how medical necessity and the absence of intent to use the substance for doping purposes will be assessed.
Among the confirmed parameters is the possibility that refusing to provide a doping sample could lead to a four-year ban from tennis. Such a sanction is already provided for in the anti-doping rules for intentional refusal or evasion of sample provision.
Whereabouts requirements are part of the system for spot checks. Players included in the registered pool submit information about the places where they can be found, and three violations within 12 months can lead to a sanction.
The new rules will come into force in 2027. They will combine easier access to athletes during tournaments with the possibility of a more proportionate approach in cases related to medical rehabilitation.