Players have long raised concerns about various aspects of anti-doping protocols, like the whereabouts system. However, in the case of Italian professional Lucrezia Stefanini, an anti-doping blood draw at the US Open left her with something that has continued to cause pain during everyday activities. Taking to Instagram, Stefanini criticized the way the blood draw was conducted.
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“A week ago, at the US Open, during doping control, the clerk was unable to find the vein and, instead of changing her approach, continued to move the needle around inside the arm in an attempt to find it. The result? This beautiful hematoma that, a week later is still there,” said Stefanini on her Instagram story. “I wonder: is it normal for doping tests to be conducted this way? And above all, is this the same treatment for ALL players? This is the evolution of the hematoma during the week. What am I telling you, because obviously it hurts me even in everyday things.”
Stefanini also shared pictures documenting the hematoma on her arm, which she said was still painful a week later. Now, anti-doping authorities can require players to provide urine or blood samples, depending on the type of test being conducted; the latter of which is important for creating the Athlete Biological Passport, enabling doping authorities to track potential blood doping.
Blood collection requires trained personnel, and tennis has previously seen disputes over how anti-doping blood draws were conducted, including Madison Brengle’s 2018 lawsuit. The American WTA player sued the WTA, ITF, and other parties involved in the anti-doping program after she alleged that repeated blood draws caused severe pain, bruising, and swelling in her arm. She shared that her diagnosis of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type I was known to the ITF. While some of the disputed blood draws occurred before that formal diagnosis was made, even then Brengle had kept complaining about her bodily reactions after blood testing – concerns which were reportedly dismissed by the officials as “phobia”.
Even though the ITF later granted Brengle a conditional one-year exemption from blood testing, the damage was done as it affected her serving arm and forced her to alter her game.
In Stefanini’s case, the Italian underwent her anti-doping process on September 2 – the same day her US Open campaign came to an end with a 4-6, 1-6 loss to Jasmine Paolini in the second round. Stefanini had a good run in New York, winning four matches, including three in qualifying.
Besides this, players have shown concerns about the whereabouts rule as well.
Players in the ITIA’s Registered Testing Pool must provide whereabouts information so they can be located for no-notice out-of-competition testing. Players are also required to specify the time window during which their availability is guaranteed for the test. Three whereabouts failures, such as filing failures or missed tests, within a 12-month period can result in an anti-doping rule violation and a suspension.
The authorities have the discretion to hold the tests outside the prescribed window as well. This issue became central to the recent Markéta Vondroušová case, in which the Czech player refused an out-of-competition test after a doping control officer arrived at her home outside her designated time slot. While the former Wimbledon champion defended her decision not to take the test, the independent tribunal ultimately found no compelling justification for the refusal and imposed a four-year suspension.
Other prominent players, like Coco Gauff, have also described emotionally difficult experiences with the system; Gauff said an interaction with an anti-doping officer outside her designated time slot left her in tears.