LONDON – Martina Hingis scribbled the phrase, “All good!” in the comment box on her doping control form at Wimbledon. Six months later, those two words couldn't be further from the truth.
The five-time Grand Slam champion, who is already retired, was banned from tennis for two years yesterday when it was announced she was found guilty of testing positive for cocaine at the All England Club.
A three-person independent tribunal rejected Hingis' defense, calling it “a simple and straightforward case.” Her manager said she won't appeal the ruling.
“Since Martina has retired from competitive sports, it makes no sense for her to challenge the judgment,” manager Mario Widmer said in Switzerland. “She just isn't going to play anymore.”
The failed drug test after Hingis' loss to Laura Granville on June 29 at Wimbledon came to light Nov. 1. That's when the 27-year-old player choked back tears at a news conference while revealing she tested positive for cocaine and said she would leave the sport she once ruled.
The suspension runs from Oct. 1, 2007, through Sept. 30, 2009, and Hingis' results at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and three smaller tournaments last year were wiped out, meaning she must forfeit $129,481 in prize money plus her ranking points.
– ASSOCIATED PRESS
