Remembering where to be 365 days a year, even if it means the doping control officer pressing the doorbell at 6am, can weigh heavily on players
During a particularly mischievous period of his life, many years ago, a 21-year-old Gaël Monfils returned home from a long night of partying at 5.45am and after a quick dash to the bathroom fell asleep. Minutes later he was woken up by a doping control officer at his front door: “I’m dying in my bed and somehow I hear the guy come. Barely. I’m dead and he’s coming,” says Monfils, laughing.
One of the requirements of being an elite player is providing your location for an hour each day as part of the anti-doping whereabouts system, which allows the anti-doping authorities to conduct unannounced out-of-competition doping tests. For years the Frenchman, like most other players, has assigned 6am as his usual hour, a time he is certain to be at home or in his hotel room.
Written by Tumaini Carayol
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/oct/09/we-re-watched-an-ajax-match-for-90-minutes-what-really-happens-when-tennis-anti-dopers-call under the title “‘We rewatched an Ajax match’: What really happens when tennis anti-dopers call”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
