Two-time Grand Slam champion Max Purcell forfeit $155,152 in prize money after accepting an 18-month ban for doping

Max Purcell was provisionally suspended in mid-December as the ITIA began an investigation into his anti-doping actions.

Two-time Grand Slam champion Max Purcell forfeit $155,152 in prize money after accepting an 18-month ban for doping

Max Purcell (via AP)

Two-time doubles Grand Slam champion Max Purcell has accepted an 18-month suspension from professional tennis after breaching anti-doping rules. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) revealed that the Australian breached the rules relating to the use of a prohibited method after unknowingly receiving IV infusions of vitamins.

The 27-year-old star received IV infusions of 100 ml in a 12-hour span. The ITIA added that Purcell had received IV infusions of more than 500 ml twice in December 2023 unknowingly after falling ill in Bali, breaching Article 2.2 of the World Anti-Doping Code and TADP (Tennis Anti-Doping Programme).

However, during the ITIA investigation, Purcell was fully cooperative and shared tangible information, which allowed him to get a reduced 25% reduction in sanctions. He had entered a provisional suspension in mid-December last year when the ITIA began their investigations. He has received an 18-month suspension and will forfeit the results and prize money earned in tournaments from December 16, 2023, to February 3, 2024, which is A$242,000 ($155,152).

The 2024 Australian doubles champion revealed via a statement on social media that the case seriously affected the quality of his life. He added that he was glad that the case had finally come to an end and that he could move on with his life.

This case has been going on for months, seriously affecting my quality of life. From being unable to sleep and eat properly and refusing to be by myself to developing nervous and anxious tics, which I still currently battle day to day. I couldn’t sit and enjoy anything without the thought of the case and the endless possibilities of what sanction I would receive. I was nothing but cooperative with the ITIA. I’m so glad this is finally over and I can move on with my life.

Max Purcell said via Instagram

The Aussie’s suspension will end on June 11, 2026. During his ban, he’s prohibited from playing in, coaching at, or attending any tennis events sanctioned by the members of the ITIA, which was established by the sport’s governing bodies.

ITIA says Max Purcell’s doping case is completely different from Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek’s case

Max Purcell’s doping case is a little bit strange as he did not test positive for any banned substance, nor did the vitamins provide any performance-enhancing benefits, but he breached anti-doping rules. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) revealed through a statement that the Australian case shows that doping isn’t only about drug tests but also about rules guiding players’ use of drugs.

Max Purcell 2
Max Purcell (via X/Reuters)

This case does not involve a player testing positive for a prohibited substance but demonstrates that the anti-doping rules are broader than that. It also shows the ITIA considers intelligence from a range of sources with the overriding aim to protect everyone covered by the tennis anti-doping rules and ensure a level playing field for all.

ITIA CEO Karen Moorhouse said in a statement via ITIA

Purcell won the men’s doubles title in Wimbledon in 2022 and at the US Open last September alongside his partner Jordan Thompson. Purcell and Thompson also won the Dallas Open and Mifel Tennis Open last year. They reached the final of the 2024 Wimbledon Championship but lost in the final.

The 27-year-old is the latest Grand Slam champion to fall prey to doping regulations. Last year, Iga Swiatek accepted a one-month suspension after testing positive for the banned drug trimetazidine following a contamination of sleep medication.

Three-time Grand Slam champion Jannik Sinner twice tested positive for clostebol in March last year but was cleared of any wrongdoing by the ITIA. However, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), but the agency and Sinner’s lawyers later settled for a three-month ban. It will end on May 4, just three days before the Italian Open in Rome commences.

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