Russian tennis player Daniil Savelev accepts 2-year doping suspension

LONDON (AP) — Russian tennis player Daniil Savelev has accepted a two-year suspension for doping, the International Tennis Integrity Agency said Friday.

The ITIA said that Savelev tested positive for the prohibited substance meldonium in July 2024. He has been provisionally suspended since August of this year. That means his suspension will end in August 2026.

Savelev had reached a career-high world doubles ranking of 1,486 in August 2022.

The ITIA said that it believed that Savelev had not intentionally taken the banned substance, saying that “Savelev admitted to ingesting meldonium tablets, confusing family medication for supplements of a similar appearance.”

The doping watchdog said that Savelev agreed to accept the suspension since he did “not take any steps to mitigate” the rules violation.

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