Jenson Brooksby, American tennis player, suspended for 18 months on whereabouts failures

Brooksby, who achieved his highest career ranking of 33rd last year, previously accepted a voluntary provisional suspension and his sanction will be backdated to July 5.

FILE PHOTO: Jenson Brooksby. | Photo Credit: AP

An independent tribunal has suspended American player Jenson Brooksby for 18 months, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said on Tuesday, after finding that he committed three whereabouts failures in a 12-month period.

The 22-year-old, who achieved his highest career ranking of 33rd last year, previously accepted a voluntary provisional suspension and his sanction will be backdated to July 5. The sanction will end on January 4, 2025, according to the ITIA.

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Brooksby previously told the AP that he had never failed a drug test or taken “bad substances”. The ITIA said that Brooksby accepted the first and third missed tests but disputed the second one.

Missing three in a 12-month period can constitute an anti-doping rule violation, according to the ITIA. Brooksby has 21 days to appeal against the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

“The whereabouts programme is a vital tool in maintaining a clean sport,” ITIA CEO Karen Moorhouse said in a statement. “No one wants players to fall foul of the rules in this way.”