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Gasquet cleared of drug charges by CAS

Thu 17th, December 2009

Lausanne, Switzerland (Sports Network) - French tennis star Richard Gasquet has been cleared on any wrongdoing by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which accepted his claim that he tested positive for cocaine after kissing a woman in an American nightclub.

The World Anti-Doping Agency and International Tennis Federation wanted Gasquet banned from the ATP World Tour for two years, but the CAS dismissed those appeals.

The 23-year-old Gasquet claimed he inadvertently ingested cocaine by kissing the woman -- identified only as "Pamela" -- in a Miami nightclub just hours after he withdrew from the tournament in Key Biscayne with a shoulder injury last March.

A court in Lausanne accepted his claim.

"It was impossible for the player, even when exercising the utmost caution, to know that in kissing a woman who he had met in a totally unsuspicious environment, he could be contaminated with cocaine," the court said in a press release.

Three lawyers for the CAS said the amount of the drug in Gasquet's system was "minute" and that he was "clearly not a regular cocaine user."

The WADA and International Tennis Federation were not pleased with the CAS verdict.

"WADA considered that the evidence warranted full and total scrutiny," said WADA director general David Howman in a statement. "WADA abides by the CAS ruling and has no further comment at this stage."

ITF president Francesco Ricci Bitti said his organization was "disappointed" with the ruling.

Gasquet served a 2 1/2-month suspension this past season before an ITF tribunal cleared him to resume playing back in July.

The Frenchman has not been charged with a doping offense. Two offenses warrant a lifetime ban from the sport.

Gasquet, who missed this year's French Open and Wimbledon events while suspended, expects to play at next month's Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the season. He played in the U.S. Open back in September, losing to Aussie Open champ Rafael Nadal in the first round.

The currently 52nd-ranked Gasquet, who reached the semifinals at Wimbledon in 2007, owns five titles on the ATP, but none since '07. The 11-time tour finalist hasn't reached an ATP final since the 2008 season.

Gasquet was ranked as high as No. 7 in the world in July of 2007.