Legendary Chris Evert Echoes Serena Williams’ Ex-Coach’s Sentiments Following ITIA’s Recent Doping Regulations

The high-profile doping cases last season, precisely the ones involving Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek, didn’t do the sport of tennis any good. The likes of Nick Kyrgios and Stanislas Wawrinka raised questions over the preferential treatment, as Jannik Sinner initially escaped without a ban before settling for a 3-month suspension in an out-of-court settlement with WADA. The CEO of the ITIA, Karen Moorhouse, herself admitted, “(The Jannik Sinner) case has invariably raised further questions about the anti-doping process in tennis.” Even Swiatek also received only a one-month provisional suspension, drawing reactions from players like Simon Halep, who highlighted, “completely different approaches.” To strengthen the anti-doping procedures after these incidents, the ITIA recently came up with a new set of rules, and the 18-time Grand Slam champion Chris Evert has now reacted to it, echoing the thoughts of Serena Williams’ former coach Rennae Stubbs.

In the wake of the high-profile doping cases, the ITIA has issued a controversial update to its anti-doping policy regarding post-match showering. While it allows the players to shower before the post-match dope tests as skipping a shower could negatively impact their “health and wellbeing,” the rule emphasizes that those who choose to shower before providing a doping sample must remain “in full view of the chaperone observing them at all times.” Not only that, it strictly mentions that any failure to do so “will be taken extremely seriously.“

Tennis insider Jon Wertheim shared this update on his X handle with the caption, “This is …extraordinary.” Rennae Stubbs then reshared it and made a revelation. “We always have had to shower with the door open. The drug testing people were with us every minute from the moment we walked off the court including watching us shower. I don’t know what they’re putting this out now,” she wrote on X.

After Stubbs’ claim that this rule is not new to the tennis world, another tennis legend Chris Evert has chimed in and shared her own experience, “Firstly, yes, they had drug testing the last year I played 😂, in which I went right off the court to the ladies room with my cup…shower was after...” Evert wrote.

This isn’t the first time Chris Evert reacted to an ITIA policy. Even in 2023, when Simona Halep was handed a four-year ban by the ITIA due to a failed dope test, Evert was the one who showcased her support for the Romanian, saying, “Simona Halep’s appeal set for February. I, for one, believe she’s innocent. Yes, she had roxadustat in her system, but she handed her whole life over to her coach and his team, who controlled her career, nutrition, and management. I think she’s innocent. Period.”

With this new rule, one may wonder whether the ITIA has now put itself into troubled waters yet again. What are the other tennis experts saying about it?

After Chris Evert and Rennae Stubbs, but Andy Murray’s ex-coach also reacts to the new ITIA rule 

Tennis fans, reporters, broadcasters, commentators, and even some of the legends of the sport are now voicing their opinion against this new ITIA rule. Andy Murray’s former coach, Mark Petchey, shared Wertheim’s post with the caption, “This is unacceptable.” The renowned commentator for the Tennis Channel, Gill Gross, echoed the same saying, “It reads absolutely bonkers.“ 

Gross further clarified, saying, “But in practice, it basically just says ‘you should really pee in the cup before you shower, not after‘“. In response to his statement, another broadcaster, Mike Cation, posted, “Then say that, instead of ‘we’re going to watch you‘ – always confounds me when organizations have this large of a PR blunder.”

What is ITIA’s reaction to all the criticisms from tennis legends like Chris Evert, Mark Petchey, and others? In its defense, the ITIA came up with a statement which read, “We recognise that parts of the anti-doping testing process are uncomfortable. However, as with all World Anti-Doping Agency-compliant sports – not just tennis – players who are notified for a test after a match are observed at all times by an anti-doping chaperone until the test is completed. This is a requirement of the World Anti-Doping Code.“

The ITIA has mentioned that players’ welfare is their topmost priority, and hence they will continue to advocate for it, without impacting the integrity of the sample. What are your thoughts on this controversy and ITIA’s justification for this?