Varvara Lepchenko’s Doping Ban Reduced to 21 Months

By | Niranjan Bhargav 8 Feb, 2023

Varvara Lepchenko’s Doping Ban Reduced to 21 Months

Former top-20 tennis player and U.S. Olympian, Varvara Lepchenko, has seen her doping suspension reduced from four years to 21 months. This reduction comes after Lepchenko reached an agreement with the International Tennis Federation (ITF) following an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

The Doping Case:

Lepchenko tested positive for a banned stimulant after a first-round loss at the Hungarian Grand Prix in July 2021. This led to her being provisionally banned for four years, with the ban backdated to August 2021. Lepchenko’s case was based on her later finding a bottle of capsules, which contained the substance for which she tested positive, and was not listed on the bottle label.

Agreement with the ITF:

The agreement between Lepchenko and the ITF was signed in October and approved by CAS in February 2023. The ITF’s news release stated that Lepchenko and the ITF agreed that she committed a violation and that she will be ineligible to compete for 21 months, starting from August 2021.

Lepchenko’s Return to the WTA Tour:

Varvara Lepchenko is set to make her return to the WTA Tour in May 2023, after serving her 21-month ban. This marked Lepchenko’s second doping case, but the ITF punished her as though it were her first because she was not at fault in the earlier case, involving a positive test for meldonium in 2016.

Lepchenko’s Career Highlights:

Lepchenko, 36, has earned over $5 million in prize money and reached a career-high WTA ranking of No. 19 in 2012. She has also represented the United States at the Olympics and in the Billie Jean King Cup. In 2012, Lepchenko made it to the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time at the French Open, beating 2010 champion Francesca Schiavone. She reached the fourth round at the U.S. Open in 2015.

Despite facing a doping suspension, American tennis pro Varvara Lepchenko remains one of the sport’s top players, with a successful career and numerous highlights to her name. She is now set to make her return to the WTA Tour in May 2023 after serving a 21-month ban.