-
Related
Argentina's Mariano Puerta, the subject of doping allegations, said on Thursday he took anti-inflammatory tablets for a sore leg after his French Open semifinal win over Russia's Nikolay Davydenko.
Puerta has denied a French newspaper report that he had tested positive for a banned stimulant at Roland Garros after his defeat by Spain's Rafael Nadal in June's final.
"It's really crazy," said Puerta, who faces a life ban if found guilty after failing a doping test two years ago.
"The doctor gave me a simple medicine but it's completely unrelated to any cold medicine I'm supposed to have taken.
"I've heard the rumour I had a cold and took some medicine but that's completely untrue.
"I did not have a cold for the whole two weeks and I did not take any cold medicine," the top seed said after being knocked out of the Japan Open 6-2 6-7 7-5 by Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis.
L'Equipe reported that traces of the stimulant etilefrine were found in his urine sample after the Roland Garros final. It also quoted him as saying at the time he had taken medication to fight a cold.
American Taylor Dent said Puerta deserved a fair hearing and called on the ATP to do more to protect players' rights.
"I'm a little disappointed with the system," said Dent. "The agency doing these tests is leaking the results. Mariano Puerta deserves a fair trial.
"Lance Armstrong was wrongly accused and maybe it's the same for Mariano Puerta. It's unfair it came out in a newspaper. The ATP should take steps to make sure it doesn't happen again."
The ITF, the game's ruling body, is in charge of drug testing at the four grand slam tournaments.
A player would normally be informed that the first of two samples had proved positive within three weeks of the end of the event. Puerta said neither the ITF nor the ATP, in charge of the men's tour, had contacted him.
Fellow Argentine Guillermo Canas was banned for two years in August after failing a dope test.
Guillermo Coria and Juan Ignacio Chela are other Argentines to have served suspensions for doping.
L'Equipe also reported in August that seven times Tour de France winner Armstrong had been discovered to have taken the illegal blood-boosting drug EPO in 1999.
Armstrong has denied the claims.
