BBC:
Roger Federer wants more drug testing in tennis
Roger Federer
wants biological passports similar to those used in cycling to be introduced to
detect doping in tennis.
The Wimbledon champion reiterated
his recent claims that
blood tests are less frequent than earlier in his career.
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“There also will be more funding needed to make all the tests possible”
Roger
Federer
Tennis great
"A blood passport will be necessary as
some substances can't be discovered right now," said the 31-year-old.
"But there also should be more blood tests and out of
competition controls in tennis."
World number one Novak Djokovic
recently complained that
the number of tests he has undergone fell in 2012 from the previous year,
while Andy Murray called
for more money to be spent on testing procedures.
The International Tennis Federation carried out a total of 131
blood tests in and out competition in 2011 - the most recent year for which
figures are available - alongside 2,019 urine tests.
Cycling's governing body, the UCI, introduced biological
passports in 2008 to check blood samples against a rider's original blood
profile to detect any subsequent doping.
"I didn't get tested on blood after the Australian Open and I
told the responsible people over there that it was a big surprise for me," added
Federer, who has won a record 17 Grand Slam titles.
"But there also will be more funding needed to make all the
tests possible and the Grand Slam tournaments should help to finance that as it
is in their best interest to keep the sport clean and credible."
