Brazilian tennis player Beatriz Haddad Maia gets suspended for doping
Brazilian tennis player Beatriz Haddad Maia was provisionally suspended for testing positive in a doping test. For now, the decision is not permanent and the young woman could appeal the decision of the International Tennis Federation
Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia reacts during the match against Germany’s Angelique Kerber. REUTERS/Edgar Su
LatinAmerican Post | Juliana Suárez, with information from AP
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Brazilian tennis player Beatriz Haddad Maia was provisionally suspended for testing positive for an anti-doping test, said the International Tennis Federation (ITF).
Leer en español: Tenista brasileña Beatriz Haddad Maia es suspendida por dopaje
Haddad Maia, who ranks 99th in the WTA ranking, had remains of two banned anabolic agents, known as SARMs, in a sample delivered on June 4 at the Croatian Open, the ITF explained. The substances detected are banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
SARMs, or selective androgen receptor modulators, are synthetic drugs with effects similar to those of anabolic steroids and are increasingly popular among weightlifters and other athletes.
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The sanction against Haddad Maia was effective on Monday, but it is provisional until a hearing is held, said the ITF, which did not report the total duration of the sanction.
Haddad Maia eliminated Spanish-Venezuelan Garbiñe Muguruza in the first round of Wimbledon this month and lost to British Harriet Dart in the next game.
Beatriz Haddad has the possibility to appeal any decision and avoid temporary suspension, although she has not yet done so, according to the ITF.
The Brazilian tennis player, in 2017, when she was only 21 years old, came to occupy the 58th position in the world rankings, her best classification in the time she has been playing professional tennis. That was her revelation year: she debuted a Grand Slam at Roland Garros and won her first Grand Slam match at Wimbledon.
2019 was also an important year for Haddad Maia until the anti-doping occurred, she managed to reach second instance at Wimbledon and at the Australian Open.
The course of the tennis player had also been affected last year by a back problem that meant surgery.
