Jenson Brooksby has revealed that he will appeal the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA)'s decision to suspend him for 18 months.
The former World No. 33 received the punishment after he missed three doping tests within twelve months. During his hearing with an independent tribunal, Brooksby accepted the first and third missed tests as his fault but contested the second one by claiming that the doping control officers did not make him sufficiently aware that they were in his hotel.
"I accepted that two of my missed tests were my fault, but I continue to maintain that my June 4, 2022, missed test should be set aside.
"No call was made to my hotel room for the entire hour, and the Doping Control Officer only called my cell phone (which was on silent) in the last four minutes of the testing window (at 6:56AM). Had the Doping Control Office called my hotel room even once, I would have for sure been tested, because I was awake and had nothing to hide," the American player wrote in a statement on Instagram.
Brooksby has confirmed he will appeal after being called "negligent"
Despite his claims, the tribunal reached the verdict that Brooksby still had a "high" degree of fault for the second missed doping test, and the ITIA said the 22-year-old "was negligent by not making themself available for testing during the identified time slot."
Nevertheless, Brooksby concluded his statement by confirming that he will appeal the verdict to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). He has 21 days from the day of his suspension to submit the appeal.
"I intend to appeal this decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. I have been fighting injuries for almost a year, and my return to the sport that I love will unfortunately be delayed a little bit longer," he said.
