Players being harassed by drug testers: Nadal

MELBOURNE - World No.1 Rafael Nadal launched a broadside at world sport’s new doping rules, claiming players were being harassed by testers.

The world No1 and four-time Roland Garros champion cruised through his third-round clash with Hewitt, advancing 6-1 6-3 6-1 in 111 minutes.

But Nadal’s biggest issue seemed to be the World Anti-Doping Agency regulations, which demand players let drug testers know their whereabouts for a period of one hour every day.

Nadal revealed that testers paid their latest visit when he was at home in Madrid last week.

“I was with my friends. Then I had a bath and my mother called me. She told me the guys were in my house in Madrid,”‘ Nadal said.

“It was my only free evening. I have to take this anti-doping control. It was the same several days ago. (David) Ferrer and Fernando (Verdasco) were tested as well, at 6am.

“It’s crazy. I don’t know if, from a legal point of view, this is correct. That is, to know where you are every single moment of your life, and to account for this. This is what I think,” The Daily Telegraph quoted Nadal, as saying.

“I don’t think this is a right thing to do. It’s wrong. It’s a high price to pay to practice your sport, to play tennis. I want tennis to be as clean as possible, of course. This is crystal clear. But there’s room for manoeuvring. You see, there’s a certain type of leeway,” he said.

Nadal added that he was convinced French player Richard Gasquet was innocent of doping despite the Frenchman testing positive for cocaine in Miami this year. (ANI)