Venezuelan No. 1 Gonzalo Oliveira provisionally suspended for doping

Venezuelan tennis player Gonzalo Oliveira has been suspended by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) after failing a doping test. The 29-year-old, who switched his nationality from Portuguese to Venezuelan last year, tested positive for methamphetamine, a stimulant banned under tennis regulations.

It was revealed today that the World No. 245 has been provisionally suspended following a failed doping test at the Challenger de Manzanillo in Mexico, where he was a singles finalist. The ITIA confirmed that he does not have a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE), which would have allowed him to take the substance legally.

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“Oliveira is prohibited from playing, coaching, or attending any tennis event sanctioned by ITIA members (ATP, ITF, WTA, Tennis Australia, Fédération Française de Tennis, Wimbledon, and USTA) or any national association,” the ITIA stated on Wednesday.

Oliveira, a former top-100 doubles player, has declined to appeal his provisional suspension until a hearing is held, meaning he will remain sidelined for now.

The 29-year-old is currently the only Venezuelan ranked inside the top 500 in singles. At the Brazzaville Open, he became the first Venezuelan player to win a Challenger title since Jimy Szymanski in 2000.

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His last tournament was the Challenger Nonthaburi in Thailand during the first week of January, where he lost in the first round to Aslan Karatsev (No. 225). Karatsev has been competing mostly on the Challenger circuit due to his recent struggles with results.