The 27-year-old was found guilty of failing to supply a blood test in April at the Monte Carlo Masters, weeks before he equalled his career-best Grand Slam performance at the French Open, reaching the fourth round where he was knocked out by French world number eight Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Troicki claims that he had been given permission to miss the test as he was feeling unwell, but the ITF have dismissed these claims, confirming that the banning order will leave the world number 53 unable to compete until midnight on January 24, 2015.

"Viktor Troicki has been found to have committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation under Article 2.3 of the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (refusing or failing without compelling justification to submit to sample collection)," reads an ITF statement.

"Mr Troicki, a 27-year-old player from Serbia, was notified on April 15, 2013, that he had been selected to provide a urine sample and a blood sample in association with his participation at the Rolex Monte Carlo Masters event.

"Mr Troicki provided a urine sample, but did not provide a blood sample.

"He asserted to an independent tribunal that he was assured by the Doping Control Officer (DCO) that it would be acceptable not to provide a sample on account of him feeling unwell that day.

"However, the tribunal concluded that the DCO told Mr Troicki that she could not advise him as to whether his reason for not providing a blood sample was valid, and that no such assurances were given by her.

"Accordingly, the tribunal determined that Mr Troicki's actions constituted a failure and a refusal to provide a blood sample, and that his explanation for not doing so did not constitute compelling justification under Article 2.3.

"However, the tribunal accepted that the stress that Mr Troicki was under at the time entitled him to mitigation under Article 10.5.2."

Serbian Viktor Troicki has been quick to defend himself after being given an 18-month banning order for failing to supply a blood test

Troicki has been quick to defend his name however, conducting an interview for his personal website to deny any wrongdoing, in which he refers to the situation as "a real nightmare".

"The doctor in charge of the testing told me that I looked very pale and ill, and that I could skip the test if I wrote an explanation letter to ITF about it," the Serbian claims on his official website.

"She dictated the letter to me and let me go without giving blood.

"She was very helpful and understanding.

"Now I am being charged for refusing to undergo a blood test without justification.

"I believe that maybe she [DCO] was told by her organisation that she made a big mistake letting me go, she backed up and tried to save her job.

Troicki also confirmed that he would be appealing the decision in hope of uncovering "the truth" about the case.

"I put my trust in the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, I really hope they will look for the truth and find it, which is only one.

"I am a fighter and I will try to fight, together with my team and my lawyers, but I am quite destroyed now.

"I hope this nightmare will come to a good end, and I really want to continue playing.

"I don't deserve this."


Troicki will now have to forfeit any ranking points or prize money attained at the Monte Carlo Masters, in which he was beaten 6-1, 6-2 by Finland's Jarkko Nieminen in the opening round.

Doping control in tennis has been under the spotlight recently, with top players such as Wimbledon champion Andy Murray and world number one Novak Djokovic calling for change in the system, which led to the ITF unanimously voting to adopt the biological passport programme, which drugs cheat Lance Armstrong claims deterred him from doping further after it was introduced in cycling.

The biological passport method takes various samples of a competitors biological data and looks for abnormalities in normal biological levels in order to spot doping, as opposed to testing for individual substances.

The technology is due to be introduced this year, along with an increase in the number of blood tests conducted.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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