A decision has been issued under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (the “Programme”) that Daniel Evans has committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation under Article 2.1 of the Programme. It was agreed that a period of one year’s ineligibility should be imposed, commencing on 24 April 2017.

Mr. Evans, a 27-year-old player from Great Britain provided a urine sample on 24 April 2017 in association with his participation in the Barcelona Open, an ATP World Tour event, held in Barcelona, Spain. That sample was sent to the World Anti-Doping Agency (“WADA”) accredited laboratory in Montreal, Canada for analysis, and was found to contain cocaine and its metabolite. Cocaine is a Non-Specified substance prohibited under category S6 of the 2017 WADA Prohibited List (stimulants), and therefore is also prohibited under the Programme.

On 16 June 2017, Mr. Evans was charged with an Anti-Doping Rule Violation under Article 2.1 of the Programme (presence of a Prohibited Substance in a Player’s Sample), and was Provisionally Suspended with effect from 26 June 2017. Mr. Evans promptly admitted his violation. The ITF accepted Mr. Evans’ account of how the cocaine got into his system and that he bears No Significant Fault or Negligence for the violation.

This is Mr. Evans’ first anti-doping rule violation. The decision determines that (1) Mr. Evans has committed a violation of the Programme; (2) Mr. Evans must serve a period of ineligibility of one year; and (3) that period of ineligibility is back-dated under Article 10.10.3(b) of the Programme to start on 24 April 2017 (the date of sample collection) and so ending at midnight on 23 April 2018. In accordance with Programme articles 9.1 and 10.8, the points and prize money obtained by Mr. Evans at the Barcelona event and in subsequent competitions are disqualified.

The full decision is available below.

• This media release was originally published by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) on 3 October 2017. To access the original, please click here.