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Old 09-11-2015, 10:48 AM   #1106
Inglewood Jack
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like every other sport, there's always rumors of certain athletes indulging in extra-curriculars. Serena and Rafa in particular are the obvious targets because of their clearly visible muscle mass advantage over their peers. what has added fuel to conspiracy theorists is both of them have spent long periods off the tour with vague injuries (e.g. one time Serena missed like half a year with what was originally described as a foot cut from broken glass), and some have interpreted these as silent drug suspensions.

officially though, none of the major stars have ever been caught (aside from Agassi and his dealings with Walter White). the ones actually getting punished for chemical enhancement are typically lower ranked players you'd never miss anyways. whether the testing program in professional tennis is adequate is another debate entirely, but at various points you will hear them complain about testers showing up unexpectedly and interfering with their routines, so at least some level of validation is happening.

one thing I briefly mentioned before is how Federer's unprecedented turnaround at a very advanced age (imagine Jagr suddenly contending for the Art Ross again) might be something that would attract a suspicious eye, if he weren't considered a living tennis deity. it helps that he's really skinny but I would not be surprised if there were some detractors who believe it's more than just a new racquet and a few lost pounds.
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