Fernando Verdasco was handed a two-month ban after testing positive for a medication for ADHD, the International Tennis Integrity Agency announced on Wednesday.
Verdasco, 39, said he was taking methylphenidate as medication prescribed by his doctor to treat ADHD but forgot to renew his therapeutic use exemption for the drug.
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The integrity agency said Verdasco has now been granted an exemption by the World Anti-Doping Agency moving forward.
He tested positive at an ATP Challenger tournament in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in February.
Through grape vines of pro tennis, I hear that many players are on ADHD meds to help sharpen focus and concentration in a manner that brings up integrity questions. Are ADHD meds the meldonium for the brain? Wonder how many current players have asked for a TUE for ADHD recently? pic.twitter.com/6HiDN0pzMG
— Pam Shriver (@PHShriver) November 30, 2022
The ITIA said that it “accepts that the player did not intend to cheat, that his violation was inadvertent and unintentional, and that he bears no significant fault or negligence for it,” and so what could have been a two-year suspension was reduced to two months.
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Verdasco will be eligible to compete on Jan. 8.
The Spaniard is a four-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist and reached a career-high ranking of No. 7 in April 2009.
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He is currently ranked No. 125 in the world.
