SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER!
Search:
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
Latest News
Featured News
Book Reviews
Videos
ATP Singles
ATP Doubles
WTA Singles
WTA Doubles
News
Scores
Rankings
Lucky Letcord Podcast
Shop
Pro Gear
Pickleball
Gear Sale
Add to Flipboard Magazine.
What Tennis Can Learn From Lance & Oprah
By Blair Henley
(January 19, 2013) --
Before
Lance Armstrong
’s much-anticipated sit down with
Oprah Winfrey
, it was difficult to fathom that someone could utter the words, “I’m sorry…I feel ashamed…I feel humbled,” yet still appear to the viewing audience as narcissistic and arrogant. It was fascinating, really. But, while the interview may not have restored our faith in a great sports champion, it did provide the game of tennis with several applicable takeaways.
Armstrong credits the biological passport system and a significant increase in out-of-competition testing for the “clean” state of cycling today.
Tennis must follow suit. Last fall, ITF anti-doping manager Stuart Miller said “
it would be nice
” if tennis could implement a passport program, which, according to
WADA
, is the “monitoring of selected biological parameters over time that will indirectly reveal the effects of doping rather than attempting to detect the doping substance itself.”
Next, the ITF must drastically increase the number of out-of-competition tests and blood tests done annually. In 2011 there were just
216 and 131
respectively. With numbers like those, players interested in scamming the system would have ample opportunity to do so.
Armstrong mentioned that testing clean at a race was “all a matter of scheduling.”
Considering the aforementioned minscule number of out-of-competition tests administered by the ITF anti-doping program, those five words were more telling in relation to the game of tennis than anything else Armstrong admitted to Oprah during their two-hour interview. The ITF, as well as
players
who think the current tennis testing program is sufficient, should take note.
Spain was once again confirmed as a hotbed of doping activity.
Despite defending him at multiple points during his career, Armstrong admitted that U.S. Postal Service team doctor
Michele Ferrari
was, in fact, the doping mastermind he was accused of being. In a voiceover, Winfrey explained that cyclists were often flown to Spain in private jets to receive “secret blood transfusions.”
Luis Garcia del Moral
, another USPS cycling team doctor, was a consulting physician for the TenisVal Academy in Valencia, Spain, for nearly 15 years (this overlaps with the five years he worked for USPS from 1999-2003). During that time, David Ferrer, Sara Errani, and Dinara Safina, among others, had trained at the TenisVal facility.
It is not in the ATP, WTA, or ITF’s best interests to “circle the wagons” if specific names are mentioned.
Though Christophe Rochus may not have taken the most tasteful approach with his
recent remarks
on the doping topic, far too many whistleblowers have been discredited and sued in the downfall of both baseball and cycling only to be proven correct after the dust settled. The various governing bodies in tennis should take any such comments seriously.
Just because an athlete adamantly, and publicly, denies wrongdoing does not mean he/she is telling the truth.
As humans, we want to believe the good in people. Or, perhaps even more so, we don’t want to believe that we can be fooled. This case again proves the value of asking questions even when proof isn’t readily available (i.e. Armstrong’s “
hundreds
” of passed tests).
Money and power go a long way in concealing illicit behavior.
Not only did Armstrong “bully” those around him into taking part in his agenda, but those complicit in the scheme were often paid off secretly using Swiss bank accounts. Don’t underestimate what money can do.
(Photo Credit: OWN)
Related Articles
10 Thoughts on the Maria Sharapova French Open Wild...
Sharapova's Attorney Blasts WADA President's Remarks
Nadal: Tennis is Clean, Publish Drug-Test Results
Becker: Murray Out of Order on Doping
Nadal: Clean and Never Had Temptations
Tweets by Tennis_Now
Latest News
Survivor: Tsitsipas Saves 2 Match Points, Fights Int...
Swiatek Stops Raducanu, Sets Up Stuttgart SF vs. Ryb...
Gritty Garin Upsets Top-Seeded Zverev, Into Munich S...
Tsitsipas, Ruud Angling for Barcelona Clash
Swiatek Opens Clay Season with Ninth Consecutive Stu...
TENNISNOW.COM
News
Blogs
Vlogs
Forums
Arcade
Members
TENNIS NOW TV
Daily News Vlog
Gear Guide
Catching Up With...
Feeds
News Feed
Blog Feed
TV Feed
ON TOUR
Scores
Player Profiles
ATP Calendar
WTA Calendar
TV Listings
PARTNERS
Instructional
Find Tennis Lessons Near You
Tennis Lessons Online with Tom Avery
Fuzzy Yellow Balls - Video Tennis Lessons
Tennis Gear
Tennis Express - Racquets, Shoes, and Apparel
About Us
|
Contact Us
|
Links Directory
|
Privacy Policy