"Feels like a bad dream" - Mikael Ymer reveals harrowing details about perfect storm of events that led to his suspension under anti-doping violation

Swedish tennis star Mikael Ymer has spoken out about his shocking 18-month ban from the sport for three whereabouts failures under the anti-doping rule violation. In a lengthy message, he revealed the details of the third incident that led to his suspension and claimed he was unfairly treated by WADA.

Ymer has been making waves in the tennis world of late with his exceptional talent and skills. However, his career recently faced a significant setback when he was handed an 18-month suspension due to a third incident involving the athlete's whereabouts system.

The system, managed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), requires athletes to provide their daily location for an hour to facilitate random out-of-competition drug tests, aiming to maintain a level playing field and ensure fair competition.

Taking to Twitter on Tuesday, July 25, Ymer shared his struggles and frustrations, stating he needed some time to process the news and work out how to proceed from here.

"It's been unreal and some very difficult days for me. I'm trying to find the right way to process the news and work out how to proceed from here. In the meantime, I won't be making any comments or interviews. I would, however, like to put on record my experience with the 3rd incident that subsequently ended up resulting in the ban."

The 24-year-old revealed the events leading to his suspension, shedding light on the complexities of the system. With last-minute changes in accommodations being common, Ymer entrusted his agent to handle his whereabouts.

"After losing in the Paris Masters 1000 in 2021, I traveled to Roanne, France, to play a Challenger. I am usually booked into the main official hotel. However, when I tried to check in, it turned out I had actually been moved to the secondary hotel," he explained.

However, Mikael Ymer's situation worsened when WADA arrived for a drug test at the main hotel without his knowledge.

"At 6.55 I received 1 call from a Spanish number and I didn’t for a second think it was anything important. Besides, since I was 3 km away, it wouldn’t have made a difference anyway, as my available hour was ending at 7 and I couldn’t have made it to the main hotel in 5 minutes. It just happened to be, that WADA decided to show up for an out of competition test the following morning at the main hotel," Ymer expressed.

The suspension led to frustration and disappointment for the Swede, as he believes that the punishment handed out to him is disproportionate compared to similar cases in the past.

"It feels like a bad dream. I don’t think justice has been served. I am 24 years old, at the prime of my career with a career-high ranking, and I have been banned for 18 months. Are we comfortable affecting young people’s livelihoods like this? Am I a casualty needed for the system to work? So why was I different?" Ymer concluded.

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“I don’t think justice has been served” - Mikael Ymer

Mikael Ymer in Davis Cup Finals 2021

In the same post, Mikael Ymer claimed that the handler appointed by WADA deliberately delayed contacting him during the test window. His attorney, in fact, had proved to the CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport) that the handler had made exceptions for other players, undermining the "protocol" argument.

"Upon learning that I wasn’t at the hotel, and despite knowing that a player’s career was on the line, he decided to run down the clock until he called me. My attorney was able to prove that this exact handler had gone out of his way to find a different player at another event, and therefore it is clear that the “protocol” is only applicable if the handler so chooses."

Immediately after Ymer's revelation, French tennis player Corentin Moutet expressed disbelief over the situation in a heartfelt tweet and empathized with Ymer's struggles. Moutet conveyed his support, hoping for a better and positive outcome for the Swede, and added his belief that the situation is profoundly unfair.

"I still can’t believe that this is happening… The guy fought all his life to get at his best ranking, all the sacrifices, being far from his family etc… I feel so sorry for him, he such a great guy i hope that everything’s gonna be better and good at the end for him So unfair," Moutet tweeted.