{"id":23012,"date":"2020-01-14T17:20:58","date_gmt":"2020-01-14T22:20:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordontennis.com\/?p=23012"},"modified":"2020-01-14T17:20:58","modified_gmt":"2020-01-14T22:20:58","slug":"robert-farah-australian-open-after-failed-drug-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2020\/01\/14\/robert-farah-australian-open-after-failed-drug-test\/","title":{"rendered":"#1 Doubles Player Robert Farah to Miss Australian Open After Failed Drug Test"},"content":{"rendered":"

The top-ranked doubles player in the world, Robert Farah, tested positive for banned substance boldenone and will not participate in the upcoming Australian Open<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He issued a statement<\/a> from Los Angeles to explain the case and defend his innocence. The Colombian referred to this situation as \u201cthe saddest moment of his career, without a doubt.\u201d<\/p>\n

The steroid boldenone was present in an out of competition drug test carried out by the International Tennis Federation in Cali (Colombia) on October 17. Farah is adamant he did not willingly commit any doping infraction.<\/p>\n

\u201cI tested negative in Shanghai on October 7 in addition to at least 15 other random tests I took throughout the season. As the Colombian Olympic Committee stated in 2018, this substance is frequently found in Colombian meat<\/a> and may alter the results of drug tests. I\u2019m sure this is what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

Partnering with countryman Juan Sebasti\u00e1n Cabal, Farah conquered both Wimbledon<\/a> and the US Open<\/a> crowns in 2019. But a few months after reaching the pinnacle, his presence in ITF-sanctioned events such as the Grand Slams and the Olympics is in jeopardy.<\/p>\n

The former University of Southern California star said he and his team are working with outside counselors to figure out the best way to proceed moving forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are going to prove I\u2019ve never used any product that fails to comply with tennis\u2019 fair play and ethics,\u201d he said. \u201cI am totally calm and confident in this process because I\u2019ve always acted with righteousness and honesty in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Farah was not the only professional player to receive a drug-related blow on Tuesday, as it was made public that Nicol\u00e1s Jarry tested positive at the Davis Cup Finals.<\/a><\/p>\n

Main Photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>