Seventeen-time major winner Roger Federer demands tougher checks to weed out tennis’ drug cheats
The Swiss great makes his statement the day after Russia’s athletics federation are suspended from competition
Roger Federer has warned tennis chiefs they must bring in tougher measures to weed out drug cheats in a bid to avoid a repeat of the Russian athletics doping scandal.
Russia has been accused of “state-sponsored” doping by an independent commission set up by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in a report which has stunned the sporting world.
The shocking revelations could eventually lead to Russian athletes being excluded from the 2016 Rio Olympics.
We have a very clear thing of what we should be doing - more testing
Swiss great Federer, speaking in London ahead of his appearance in the season-ending ATP Tour Finals, is a firm believer in testing players as a deterrent, but the 17-time Grand Slam winner is adamant his sport can do more to stamp out drug issues.
“I think it’s very important. The player needs to feel that there are going to be tests often to shy them away from the stupid thoughts they might be having,” Federer told reporters at London’s O2 Arena on Friday.
Tennis’ anti-doping programme falls under the jurisdiction of the International Tennis Federation and the exact amount spent on it is not made public.
