"I have never taken a banned substance in my life" - 'Disappointed' Jenson Brooksby breaks silence as he faces 18-month ban for 3 missed test

Jenson Brooksby has broken his silence after being issued an 18-month suspension by the ITIA for three missed tests.

American tennis player Jenson Brooksby accepted a provisional suspension in July this year for three ‘whereabouts failures’ from 2022. On Tuesday, October 24, the ITIA released a statement announcing that Brooksby was being handed an 18-month competitive ban.

In the statement, the governing body’s CEO, Karen Moorhouse, stated that the program is a vital aspect of the sport. She urged all players to take the necessary steps and abide by the rules.

“The whereabouts programme is a vital tool in maintaining a clean sport. No-one wants players to fall foul of the rules in this way. We urge all players to take the necessary steps to ensure that they are meticulous with their whereabouts filings,” the CEO said.

Following the revelation, Jenson Brooksby shared his own account regarding the three tests. The ‘disappointed’ American suggested that while he took responsibility for two of his three missed tests, he is not to blame for his second missed test, from June 4, 2022.

“I am very disappointed to learn that I have been suspended for 18 months, for 3 missed tests. I have never taken a banned substance in my life. I was open and honest with ITIA throughout out my case. I understand that it is my responsibility and will learn and grow. I accepted that 2 of my missed tests were my fault, but I maintain that my June 4, 2022 missed test should be set aside,” he said in a statement on Instagram.

Brooksby had bowed out of the French Open at the time and was gearing up for his appearance at the ATP 250 event in Rosmalen, Netherlands. He hinted that he was a victim of miscommunication and mismanagement between the ITIA official and the hotel staff. Brooksby explained that the hotel room was booked in his physio’s name. And while he had urged the staff to add his name to it as well, the ITIA official was wrongly informed that he hadn’t checked in.

“I was in my hotel room for the entirety of my 1-hour testing window. The hotel room had been booked for the first part of my stay in the name of my physio (who was staying with me), because ATP did not provide me with a room until June 4. Starting on June 4, the room was in my name, but I had asked that my name be added to the room days before that,” he recalled, “The hotel told the officer that I had not yet checked in, but they did show him their computer screen which already had my room number listed on it.”

Jenson Brooksby also stated that the Doping Control official did not make any effort to get in touch with him until the final minutes of the allotted time bracket.

“Having that information, the Doping Control Officer never asked the hotel to call my room, so I did not know that they were there to test. The officer only called my cellphone (which was on silent) in the last 4 minutes of the testing window (at 6:56 am). Had the officer called my hotel room even once, I would have been tested, because I was awake and had nothing to hide,” he added.

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"I intend to appeal this decision" – Jenson Brooksby on his 18-month ban

Jenson Brooksby will appeal his ban

Jenson Brooksby, who hasn’t played a match since his 2023 Australian Open third-round exit against Tommy Paul, was on an injury break when he was handed the provisional suspension. He underwent two wrist surgeries during the time period.

Brooksby has now expressed his intention to appeal the ban.

“I intend to appeal this decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. I have been fighting injures for almost a year. My return to the sport that I love will unfortunately be delayed a little bit longer. But I will be back, and I hope it will be soon,” he said.

It is worth noting that earlier this year, Mikael Ymer was similarly slapped with an 18-month ban, following which the 24-year-old announced his retirement from tennis.