All athletes can be tested at any time, in any place.
A comprehensive Anti-Doping testing programme is fundamental to fair sport. On behalf of our tennis members (the ATP, ITF, WTA and the four Grand Slams), we test to deter cheating through the use of prohibited substances.
Our testing programme follows the rules laid out by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and helps to ensure that the sport remains free from doping.
Testing can take place in-competition at events, or out-of-competition, in training venues, tournament hotels, or even at an athlete’s home.
Testing is intelligence-led and risk-based, however it will always be conducted with ‘no advanced notice’.
The process
Whether in-competition or outside of it, testing is carried out by qualified and registered Doping Control Officers (DCOs). For a step-by-step guide on the testing process, click below:
Watch the video below to learn how testing works
There are some unique circumstances whereby the testing process is adapted, or altered from regular testing provision. These are as follows:
Athletes under 18 are considered minors. Minors can still be tested
Much of the testing process is the same as adult athletes, however modifications are made to ensure minors are safeguarded.
These include:
- Being encouraged to have an adult present for the notification process, and thereafter. If this is declined by the athlete, the DCO will ensure that another adult is present – for safeguarding purposes.
- During the sample provision process, the DCO observing the provision will be witnessed by another observer. The observer will not be able to witness the athlete providing the sample, unless the athlete specifies otherwise.
For those athletes with an impairment such as physical, visual or intellectual there are some modifications to the testing process to ensure it is accessible and suitable for all. The DCO will consult the athlete, and their representatives if necessary, to determine appropriate modifications.
These may include, but are not limited to:
- Use of alternative testing equipment
- An alternative Doping Control Station
- Use of personal assistance in providing a sample (if authorised by the athlete and relevant DCO)
Considerations will also be made around informed consent and the presence of representatives, in cases of visual, physical or intellectual impairment.
All modifications will be documented
A selected group of tennis players are tested regularly as part of the Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) Programme. ABP programmes are used across tennis and other sports to as an additional instrument to detect whether players are using prohibited substances or methods that other forms of testing may not identify.
Traditional anti-doping testing aims to directly identify prohibited substances and methods in an athlete’s blood and urine.
The ABP allows the long-term monitoring of an athlete’s biological data in both blood and urine, looking indirectly for potential markers that indicate doping within a set of parameters, called biomarkers.
A player’s ABP profile, or ‘passport’, is made up of multiple blood and urine samples collected and analysed over time. The analysis of these samples allows for a player’s normal values to be established.
These normal values are monitored long-term for changes; such changes can be caused by the following:
The use of a prohibited substance or method without detecting the substance in traditional Anti-Doping tests.
-Irregular use of prohibited substances and methods.
-Use of substances for which a direct test is not available.
Players have access to their ABP sample record on ADAMS at all times should they want to view their personal data.
ABP data/monitoring is managed and handled anonymously by an external Athlete Passport Management Unit (APMU), which are made up of WADA-accredited laboratory experts. If the APMU suspects the use of prohibited substances or methods, the passport is sent for further analysis by three independent experts.
The ABP approach was officially introduced by WADA in 2009 and operates amongst International Federation (IF) and National Anti-Doping Agency (NADO) programmes worldwide.
For more information on ABPs, visit WADA’s website.
Still have a question about the testing procedure, process, or ABP? Check out our list of handy FAQs below
