By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, April 26, 2016
Rafael Nadal has asked the ITF to “please make public my biological passport, my complete history of anti-doping controls and tests.”
Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve
Rafael Nadal is calling for total transparency to prove he's a clean player.
The 14-time time Grand Slam champion says he has never used performance enhancing drugs and has the results to prove it.
More: Nadal Sues Former French Minister for Doping Allegation
Nadal has formally requested the International Tennis Federation make public his entire history of drug test results and blood profile records.
In a letter to ITF president Dave Haggerty, Nadal asked the ITF to “please make public my biological passport, my complete history of anti-doping controls and tests.”
Nadal's letter was sent the same day he filed a defamation lawsuit against former French minister of health and sport Roselyne Bachelot, who told a French television program Nadal "without any doubt tested positive" for a banned substance and had served a silent ban in 2012 and 2013.
In his letter to the ITF, obtained and published by the Associated Press, Nadal said false accusations of doping without evidence cannot be tolerated anymore.
“I know how many times I am tested, on and off competition,” Nadal wrote in the letter published by the Associated Press. “Please make all my information public. Please make public my biological passport, my complete history of anti-doping controls and tests.”
Nadal also asked the ITF to disclose when he's tested and the results of future drug tests.
“From now on I ask you to communicate when I am tested and the results as soon as they are ready from your labs,” Nadal said. “I also encourage you to start filing lawsuits if there is any misinformation spread by anyone.”
In its response, the ITF confirmed Nadal has never failed a drug test.
"The ITF can confirm that Mr. Nadal has never failed a test under the TADP and has not been suspended at any time for an anti-doping rule violation or for any other reason related to the TADP,” the ITF said in a statement to the Associated Press.
The tennis federation also said the nine-time Roland Garros champion can access his records through the World Anti-Doping Agency data base and "is free to make them available."
“The accuracy of any such release would be verified by the ITF," the Federation told the Associated Press.
In an interview with the French TV program Le Grand 8, Bachelot alleged Nadal's break from tennis in 2012 was "without any doubt because he tested positive (for a banned substance)" rather than due to injury.
"We know that Nadal's famous seven-month injury was without a doubt due to a positive [drug test]," Bachelot told Le Grand 8. "When you see a tennis player who stops playing for long months, it is because he has tested positive and because they are covering it up. It is not something that always happens, but yes it happens more than you think."
An outraged Nadal said it's incomprehensible an official in sport can make unfounded allegations without any evidence supporting her doping charges.
“It is unacceptable and mostly unfair that someone that should have knowledge of sports to a certain point and degree can publicly say something like this with no proof or evidence,” Nadal wrote in his letter.
In a reference to past silent bans some players have served, Nadal said the public lacks trust tennis' anti-doping policy and urged the game's governing bodies to adopt an open communication policy.
"They don’t trust the sport. They think governing bodies cover things up and do nothing,” Nadal wrote in comments published by the Associated Press. “We know this is not true. … I believe the time has arrived and our sport and our governing bodies need to step up in communicating well to the world.”