Roger Federer: Tennis Icon Right to Call for Biological Passports

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: February 18, 2013

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Roger Federer believes biological passports should be the norm on the ATP—a notion that makes plenty of sense in this day and age where cheating in pro sports is prevalent. 

Federer stated the following, according to the Guardian's Kevin Mitchell:

"A blood passport will be necessary [...] as some substances can't be discovered right now but might in the future, and that risk of discovery can chase cheaters away. But there also should be more blood tests and out-of-competition controls in tennis. I didn't get tested on blood after the Australian Open and I told the responsible people over there that it was a big surprise for me."

The 2012 Summer Olympics was the first summer games to utilize this comprehensive anti-doping measure, which is a "long term history of an athlete's physiology based on key markers in the blood," (h/t BBC's Matt McGrath).

World Anti-Doping Agency president John Fahey talked about the process and what it is supposed to do before the London Games, according to Sports Network, via the Los Angeles Times:

If someone thinks they're home free in 15 days time from some form of cheating here in London, they should hold their breath for at least eight years because the odds are they can be picked up at a later point in time.



While doping may not seem prevalent in the world of professional tennis, the suspicion is certainly there. Just this year, on Feb. 14, Czech tennis player Barbora Zahlavova Strycova was suspended for six months after she tested positive for sibutramine, a stimulant (h/t Bloomberg's Christopher Elser).

Pro athletes are under a tremendous amount of stress to win, and many of them will go to extreme lengths to get a leg up on their competition. 

According to Mitchell's report in the Guardian, the current system in place on the ATP is nothing more than "window dressing," and the minimal amount of players getting bus...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis

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