Andre Agassi says tennis is a leader in the fight against drugs in sport and Greg Rusedski's pending and public drug case hasn't tarnished its image.
"One of the things we can say is our sport is leading -- if not the top sport -- in drug testing in both intensity as far as what they test for and how often they test," Agassi said yesterday.
Agassi, an eight-time Grand Slam champion, will begin the defense of his Australian Open title next week in Melbourne.
The season-opening major has been overshadowed by Rusedski's admission last week that he tested positive at Indianapolis last July for the steroid nandrolone.
Rusedski faces a hearing in Montreal next month. He maintains his innocence and says his is one of 47 cases where traces of nandrolone might be attributed to supplements given to players by ATP trainers.
The ATP rejects the figures cited, saying in 36 cases players showed elevated levels of nandrolone that were below the threshold for a positive test and that seven other minimal positives were erased after the tour couldn't prove supplements dispensed by its trainers didn't contain traces of banned substances.
The ATP stopped its trainers from giving players any supplements or vitamins last May.
Since then, four samples have shown traces of nandrolone, although only one was over the threshold (2 nanograms per milliliter) for a doping violation.
Agassi said in the 13 tournaments he contested in 2003, he had urine samples taken 11 times and had blood samples taken eight times, including three in out-of-competition tests.
"It's not possible to get more aggressive at the goal of maintaining the integrity of our sport," he said.
The ATP, which runs the men's tour and is part of the tennis anti-doping program along with the ITF and the WTA, conducted at least 1,100 random doping tests at tournaments in 2003 and about 60 out-of-competition tests.
Agassi said that the ATP Tour's drug testing policy assures him that none of the players are using performance-enhancing drugs.
"I have full confidence I am playing someone who is clean," said Agassi, who had a 47-10 record last year.
The 33-year-old American said tennis was based on sportsmanship and organizers needed to "get to the bottom of something that's crucial to our integrity."
"That's going to require everybody accepting responsibility and it's going to require keeping useless quotes out of the headlines, and irresponsible quotes out of the headlines."
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