Victor Bini, a 20-year-old Brazilian tennis player (world number 1782), has been suspended for 13 months. The information was published last Friday by the "Estadão Conteúdo" news agency.
According to the news outlet, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) confirmed that the young player had committed a "violation of the tennis anti-doping program" (TADP).
The sanction relates to a urine sample taken on April 26, when Bini was competing in the M15 Mogui das Cruzes qualifier in Brazil. In the sample, traces of clomiphene metabolites were identified, a substance considered illegal by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
Victor Bini confessed to consuming the substance but pointed out that it came from a contaminated supplement. The ITIA eventually confirmed in a WADA-accredited laboratory that the clomiphene was derived from the supplement in question. As such, "the violation was not intentional and the player did not commit any significant fault or negligence for this violation".
The TADP stipulates that the suspension for an unintentional anti-doping violation is 2 years (half of the 4 years for intentional cases) with a possible reduction depending on the degree of negligence or guilt of the player. Thus, the ITIA and Victor Bini agreed on a 13-month suspension, with the player staying off the courts between October 3rd of this year and midnight on November 2nd, 2024.
This is yet another case of doping in tennis and yet another involving the consumption of contaminated supplements, after Simona Halep was suspended until 2026 on charges of consuming Roxadustat, as well as inconsistencies in her biological passport. Halep also tried to prove that the substance she consumed came from a contaminated supplement, but was unsuccessful and is preparing to appeal the ITIA's decision.