Glad that the Richard situation is over and the punishment given was good. Just imagine if Martina Hingis decided to fight her charge instead of fading into the limelight.

Hingis got totally screwedm an, we could have enjoyed watching her a bit longer, but glad to Reeeshie ...

compared to other sports shenanigans, this is such a Disney story, my God, its not like partying makes u some low life criminal scumbag, half the top ten in the 70s were at discos all the time!

I know this piece is very tongue-in-cheek, but one serious comment:

As another completely hetero and non-virginal guy who doesn't like strip clubs, I don't find it eyebrow-raising at all that Gasquet might have wanted to leave. Especially if they didn't know that's the sort of club they were going to.

Believe it or not, Pete, enjoying the sight of attractive naked members of the opposite sex does not necessarily mean that one finds pleasure in purchasing such glimpses with money.

Glad the ITF was reasonable and lowered the ban on Gasquet to time already served. Seemed absolutely ridiculous to have a year (or two?) ban for non performance enhancing drugs. Hopefully this incident will prompt some reviews of the rules IRT non performance enhancing positive tests. A much shorter ban, perhaps with escalating times for repeat offenders, would serve the purpose without seeming ludicrous.

IMO, doping procedures and rules seem very haphazard, like they were cobbled together as the program developed (they probably were). The ITF should really sit down--with someone who knows science, please!--and establish logical procedures and rules for this stuff. It would strengthen their credibility, I think, if and when they get actual PED doping cases.

*preferring the company of people he knows and small groups*

*he and Pamela (a French girl whom Gasquet and his posse met during a night out) kissed mouth-to-mouth about seven times*

Hmm..

"A much shorter ban, perhaps with escalating times for repeat offenders, would serve the purpose without seeming ludicrous."

Yeah, throw in mandatory rehab for repeat offenders and I'd go with that.

i feel very very very bad for Hingis

glad for ree-shard, but bad for MH

That was funny, Pete.
First, happy that Gasquet is allowed to play. The description of what he did makes it clear that he didnt deserve a long-term punishment.
Now, on to the quite comic report. So let's see: there's a clear lack of information, as it's stated that he and Pamela (why is it that the name always brings the same certain person to mind?) kissed 7 times, but we only know details about 2 of them. What kind of Mickey Mouse report is this that cant discover anything about the other 5 kisses?
A vodka and apple juice? Ugh. What happened to the good ol' rum+cola combination?
Does anybody really believe that a bunch of guys with some drinks in them wouldnt like a strip club?
I have only flied a couple of times, but if i told mom to arrange my train or bus travels, she would either laugh to my face or ask me if i had drunk something.

Funny piece, Pete. I hope they start getting more realistic about these rules. Richard got screwed here, and for more than 10 seconds.

I'd really like to see him and Hingis play some mixed doubles soon. Maybe they could do a commercial for Coke! That would be amusing.

Uhhh, vodka and apple juice--you just can't make this stuff up. Oh Reeshard.

If I were going out with Radek Stepaneck, I think I would need a little candy to dull reality before going home as well.

Pete I couldn't stop cracking up. ROFL.
Hilarious piece. Thanks for this.

"If I were going out with Radek Stepaneck, I think I would need a little candy to dull reality before going home as well."

Half an hour in and we already have the winner.

To the smart***es who are quibbling the choice of drink: vodka and apple juice is a typical Polish way of drinking the stuff, and I doubt anyone's going to question the Poles' commitment to the cause

I'm very happy for Reeshie. But this is all just too ridiculous for words. LOL!

Do we think that Martina met a party girl called Pamela too? If so, Amelie might want to raise an eyebrow

Pete,

What an appropriate photo! ROFL!

Go Gasquet,all I can think is why didn't Hingis think of this story because obviously they will believe anything. Glad for him though because I believe the penalty was too stiff.My only problem with this is why wasn't Hingis given the same benefit of the doubt. I agree with Tim, Hingis was totally screwed, Richard got off with a story that is beyond laughable. Because English isn't my native language, I just want to make sure my interpretation is correct, is Richard saying that he tested positive for cocaine because he kissed a stripper who was using cocaine?? Is that what he's saying??

"What an appropriate photo!"

Those girls are Miami Dolphins cheerleaders, aren't they? :D

The dangers of kissing!

Well I am amazed and very happy for Richard,gee he can count himslef very lucky indeed.The Tribunnel very understanding indeed.I agree with Master Aces comments re Martina Hingis not fighting? well I suppose thats her decision.

Good Morning Everyone.

Well I am amazed and very happy for Richard,gee he can count himslef very lucky indeed.The Tribunnel very understanding indeed.I agree with Master Aces comments re Martina Hingis not fighting? well I suppose thats her decision.

Good Morning Everyone.

oops sorry for double post

Greenhopper,
Correct...

Gee I must tell my daughter when out not to worry about your drink being spiked but

Be careful who you kiss as well.

Not exactly, Samantha.
I think this Pamela girl wasnt a stripper (although the fact that she suggested a strip club might tell us something different).
However, i dont know where this other lady, Denise, comes from, although the report seems to be suggesting something when it talks about "seemingly indefatigable party girls".
And by the way, was Nadal also there or did he just know because Gasquet told him?

WRT Hingis....yeah, looks like she might have been a little screwed on this one. But two things to keep in mind, I think: she didn't contest the case, as Gasquet did. Maybe her sentence would have been reduced had she, like Gasquet, given a defense. Or maybe not. Maybe she didn't have a set of circumstances that lent themselves to a good appeal so didnt' bother. I don't really remember the situation with that one.

Also...yeah, a reduced sentence for Gasquet means Hingis maybe gets screwed, but I'd rather they correct these ridiculously long bans now and have Hingis alone be the victim, than feel like they have to give everyone a long ban because they gave Hingis a long one, and then everyone gets screwed.

I shall view all "Pamelas" with great suspicion from now on.

Mr. X -- the "indefatigable" phrase was an editor's note from Pete, I believe. That's not in the report. Pretty much everything in parens is Pete.

I'm very happy for him, I just hope no one is going to recite parts of that report in the lockeroom to him. Poor kid, how embarassing.

So glad he's off the hook, and hopefully he spent some of that time working on his game.

Ok, I'm totally confused Mr.X, I'm going over to the Swedish and Danish tennis site so I can read this in my own language because I'm totally not getting how Richard said the cocaine got in his system. The way I read is that he kissed a high stripper, but I think I'm reading it wrong. Ok off to look for the story.

Hold the horses. I thought that kissing only led to a postive pregnancy test. Now you're trying to tell me that I can get a positive drug test from kissing too? I'd better practice safe kissing.

Russ,

I just fell of my chair at that one!

It is fair that Richard did not get suspended with longer sentence, he already missed RG and Wimbledon. How could dopers such as Korda or Canas get away so easily for using performance enhancing drugs? Credit to Richard's lawyers, they really earned their fees.

ahaha yeah the photo just explains it all! lol. great choice for this article.

Well my daughter Briony will be happy.She met Richard 2 years ago while working in the media at Sydney Medibank and Tsonga,she caught up with Richard again this year.

She never believed he took cocaine at all,she was very upset.Aso Beths daughter Missie will be happy too.

Ross,

ROLF!!!!

ROFL

Russ Yes Safe Kissing is the way of the 21st Century now,forget about falling pregnant thats old news. lol!

Though in your case falling pregnant would indeed some type of miracle indeed. lol!

Glad to see you posting again GVGirl long time no see here.

Russ if that kind of miracle did happen

No I wont be your midwife ok.

Wait,wait, wait... so your telling me its impossible to impregnate someone's face??!?!

Samantha --

You are correct: quite a bit of the Gasquet decision revolves around his contention that he might have got the drug by kissing 'Pamela' -- especially after she had just taken an unusually long time at the toilet!

I just posted something on Steve's blog about this. I hope you don't mind if I re-post it here.

Also, Martina Hingis did not fade away -- she fought against her decision, but she did not use Gasquet's 'babe in the woods' defence, and she lost her case.

LOL, Russ.
evie,
Oh, so it's Pete who makes the insinuation. Thanks for explaining it.

With this, the deffense for every possible future accusation of coke use will be obvious. Take this report and make a calculation of the number and duration of the kisses that would make a certain amount of coke appear in a test. Easy.

AM: If I could get pregnant, I'd would.

GV: ROLF is just fine, thanks.

Lynne: Please don't take offense to this, but it's been just killing me ever since I first saw you. Rafalite makes no sense... unless you are a fan of Aranxta Sanchez-Vicario. Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought the correct term was Rafaelite, i.e. a derivative of Israelite, except substitute Raf for Isr. It just rolls of the tongue to smuch better... whaddya say?

*The sad case of the legal innocent vs. the sexual innocent*

I just read the decisions in the cases of Martina Hingis and Richard Gasquet. They are remarkably similar in the facts of the cases, and remarkably different in the tone in which the decision is rendered. I may have missed it, but the Gasquet case does not give the amount found in the test, although several times the decision describes the amount as infinitesimal ("comparable to a single grain of salt" in one place). The Hingis case decision does give the amount, but does not dwell on whether it is a significant amount.

You can read the legal decisions in the cases as pdfs on the ITF website, here:

http://www.itftennis.com/antidoping/news/decisions.asp

In my view, Martina Hingis made a huge mistake in the way she made her legal case, by insisting on her innocence and not knowing how she might have ingested the drug.

Richard Gasquet, by contrast, grovelled (I don't blame him for doing so, but that's what he did): he described his visit to 'Set' nightclub, and his kisses with a lady called 'Pamela.' They kissed at the table, they kissed on the stairs, they went upstairs and kissed on the sofa. Then Pamela, according to Gasquet, spent an inordinate amount of time at the toilet, and then kissed him again. This, the decision concludes, seems the most likely time for the inadvertent contamination to have taken place.

The Hingis decision dismisses Hingis's claims of good character as immaterial, and focuses on refuting any possibility of technical error in the case, which it seems to do beyond dispute. The ITF refused to call some witnesses which Hingis requested, on the grounds that it could not compel them to attend. Whatever the technical accuracy of this, it seems a shame, for one of the highest-profile players in the world, that the ITF did not want to do this. The Hingis decision says that Hingis had a burden to provide a plausible scenario by which she might accidentally have ingested cocaine, and that she did not do so.

Gasquet and his lawyers obviously went to great lengths to focus on the plausible scenario aspect, and I am happy that they won. However, reading the decisions back to back, I cannot help thinking that the more recent decision reads like an article in People magazine. Gasquet is shy, of very good character, and retiring; when he went to the strip club with this woman (who told him she had been offered cocaine), he did not like it and went home to bed after 10 minutes, etc. He does not take cocaine or other drugs, etc etc. It is just strikingly different from the language of the Hingis decision. He is basically being excused by the teacher. Neither of the principal people who might have corroborated his story gave evidence: not Pamela; not the Italian radio journalist lady. It just sounded good.

Sadly and ironically, one of the aspects of Hingis's case which damned her, rather than helped her, was that when she had signed her urine test in the presence of the testers, she wrote in the comments section, "All good!"

The ITF should be ashamed of their stupidity in Martina Hingis's doping case. At the very least, they might have accepted her resignation from the sport and dropped the matter. I would not say this except that in Richard Gasquet's case, they took into account, as mitigating evidence, that he intended to withdraw from the tournament the next day.

Sorry if this is a bit rambling, but I thought it was interesting stuff, and I just went through it quickly. I would love to hear the opinions of some of the lawyers on the list.

Russ have been drinking that funny beer of your again,if so stop please.

Aussiemarg,

Thanks for your post, life happens I've been extremely busy.

Thanks Nora, I just read the story from a Danish newspaper and that is what Gasquet is saying. Also, I found it so unbelievable that I checked on Wiki Answer. com. And according to them the answer is NO, you can't test positive for cocaine from kissing which is what I thought. Ok, now I can't stop laughing, I'm off to call my friends because this one is too funny not to tell. Go Richard, I'm a fan because I think creative guys are HOTT!

Tokyo Tom... the Radek comment is tooo much... LOL!!!!!!!!

dear Mr. Bodo,
I remember very well your endless and really mean comments about argentine players and doping.
maybe you were right..., but:
I don't believe in conspiracy theories (Argentina against the world), also I'm not a blinded patriot, and I like Gasquets game and always try to watch him o TV, but looking at this two month suspension I'm forced to think that if Gasquet had been an argentine player, the tribunal's decision would have been another one!
anyway, I don't know about the facts..., it's just a feeling...

Nora Regarding Martina's case she never really came out oreven hinted why she was tested positive all she said was she would fight to clear her name,which of course anyone in her position would do.Then declared in a way she wouldnt fight it.

I know myself if I was innocent and even retired from a sport I would fight to clear my name.it kind of leaves you thinking dosent it?

Again, I'm glad Gasquet's sentence was reduced, I'm just in shocked that anyone would buy such a story, that's all.

Yes, it all seems good, but unfortunately this story will follow Reeshard around like a little French Poodle puppy until it's grown up, worn out and curled up in a corner with old age.

Makes you wonder why Martina H never fought her suspension.

Between mono and cocaine, no one should kiss anyone while playing on the ATP & WTA tours!

Samantha --

It is worse (or better) than that: the legal decision goes around and around about whether it is plausible that this is how he got the drug in his system. First they say it is unlikely, then they acknowledge that they don't dispute that he did kiss the girl, but that other means are more likely, like putting his hand on a table with coke on it, and then putting his hand to his mouth, etc. Finally it decides that it accepts that the kiss was most likely the culprit. It's like a bad joke. If only Hingis had given up the lurid details of which DJ clubs she frequents, she could have gotten off scot free, with commendations of her impeccable character, contribution to the sport, vigorous work habits, clean-living lifestyle, etc.

Will Gasquet need a wild card now to enter Montreal and Cincinatti?
At least in Montreal, the players list is out and Gasquet is not on it. The next-on-list in case of withdrawals is also already available - could he be put on that now?
Thx for any insights.

Give It A Break, Why is it that Rafa's name is in any of this mess. Did I not read that they woke him in early morn. somewhere to test him for Drugs, is it the muscles or that he is not that far from being numero 1 again. Leave the Kid alone good people everyone does not do DRUGS.

sooooo..reeshee has his blood contaminated by a cocaine loving party girl he happened to lock lips with.

yep.

expect an announcement in the coming days about me sprouting wings and flying over the oppenheimer building in los angeles.

Nora - Setting up the story so that the protagonist is a clueless naif can be fairly effective (though generally less so in where the purported naivety is in matters financial) in a legal setting, but of course you have to be careful not to overdo it and ruin your credibility. But I'd imagine there are other lawyers here who do more litigation than me, so listen to them.

lois Same old,same old with Rafa and his physical type body

Gee i just ignore not worth responding too at all.

Yawn!

And, that's why kissing at night clubs gives you a buzz.

Hey tokyo tom,
it's been a while.

P.S. I am happy for Richard, If anything did happen I am sure he has learned a valuable lesson. Seems such a sahame to do all that training and hard work just to lose it all for nothing.

So did Gasquet tell this story to Nadal a few months ago, or did Gasquet just hear Nadal's hypothetical and run with it? Anyway, I'm happy for the guy whether he did it or not. Allez!

AussieMarg & GV Girl,

Again, she did fight her suspension, she just chose the wrong method. You can read the decision in her hearing at the link above. Her method was to say, I don't know how it got there, I would be crazy to take cocaine during a tournament, you must have screwed up the samples. She did say at the time that she immediately took a hair sample and that it was negative. This is not mentioned in the decision, I think. I don't know why. But Gasquet's hair sample, taken later, is mentioned as exculpatory ('showing that he was not a habitual user of cocaine').

Nora: basically the tribunal made a decision and then fit the facts and their arguments to get the desired outcome...I don't even know if it's plausible to have cocaine in your system from kissing someone but the Tribunal goes into great detail about the facts of the case, (of course I readily admit most decisions are fact sensitive), but IMO the Tribunal did NOT think Reshee should be banned for 2 years so they found a way to ensure he was not...QED

I thought Hingis' defense was that WADA had mishandled her sample.

Yes I do not get any type of buzz kissing my hubby Pspace,maybe I need a change lol!

Richard better stick to this in the club :http://www.ohlalamag.com/en/2008/02/gasquet-and-tso.html

instead of kissing some random girl...its safer apparently.

I shall view all "Pamelas" with great suspicion from now on.
~~~~~

LMAO, Lynne!

Agree with the sentiment that Hingis got screwed. I'm happy for Reeshard fans, but I'm left unsettled by the differences in how the two cases were adjudicated.

Nora Thanks that kind of did remind me now with the hair sample

Master Ace If still around,what is Richards current atp ranking now please?

"I thought Hingis' defense was that WADA had mishandled her sample."

Yeah, I don't think the 'I didn't screw up, YOU did' defense tends to work in this sort of case. Calls their credibility into question, and glorified bureaucrats don't like that.

Blame your friends, blame strangers, blame your mom and your dad and your dog and your imaginary friend Cokey The Cokebear, but don't blame the people who handled the sample.

Aussiemarge, You're right , lets you and I enjoy the Bod. and not listen to anyone else.
Veruca, I like it. I can't stop laughing.
Pspace, Hey I am missing out on this night club thing huh, what a bummer (LOL)

Gee The Worm does leave his woman with different legacies dosent he.

Pete - this was funny - especially the vodka and apple juice in sippy cup part!

Nora: I would say that Hingis' tactic is what probably ultimately lost her the decision, you can not simply say, I don't know how cocaine got in my system, when tests conclusively prove that you infact tested positive for cocaine, she also attacked the credibility of the testing and the results, most courts frown heavily on such arguments, you have to give them something to hang their hats on...OTOH Reshee gave the Tribunal an explanation (plausible or not, depending on what side of the divide you fall in) and the Tribunal ran with it (also note that the Tribunal describe how minute the amount of cocaine in his system was, and make sure to tell us that he is infact not a cocaine user)...

Whilst I'm pleased Richard is coming back to the tour, I found his tale of Miami night life very funny.

I just went over to the WTA world site to see what they were saying about this and people are saying that Hingis should be reinstated to the WTA immediately and I agree. I mean like come on, I'm in my teens and if I questioned this story immediately, there is no way the ITF really believe this could happen. This is like something you would see in a comedy movie, not in real life. You know like the guy kisses this girl and is wasted. I feel really bad for Hingis

Aussiemarg,
Richard is ranked 32.

sblily,

Well, I do have three sons ...

lois,
I didnt try to imply that Nadal was doping when i mentioned his name. Only thing i said is that he seemed to know the story when he was asked, so i wonder if he was there or Gasquet told him.

Dreamsonfire --

Fantastic photos, thanks!!

It makes such a hilarious picture, juxtaposed with Richie shyly kissing Pamela and 'helping himself to apple juice' while she goes off for a strangely long visit to the ladies room. 'Where can she be? I hope she is alright!'

Surely you jest ... you all.

And you, Pete? Say it ain't so ....

First.
All that balderdash from that [poor baby, put upon by lose women in wild nightclubs] WORLD CLASS ATHLETE? If true [ahhh ... poor baby, put upon by lose women in wild nightclubs], perhaps he should be suspended for giving such a "good" name to professional athletes. Or at the least, give up world travel and fame for a mountain-top monastery.

Second.
You all buy that balderdash from that ... poor baby, put upon by lose women in wild nightclubs.

ITF... Now. That is your version of going 5 loooong sets to find a way to re-instate a would-be [head-case] star.

Silly stuff all the way around....

What kind of bar even has apple juice available for purchase?????

Poor Martina!

Master Ace Thank you

Lynne Please keep your sons away from my Girl ok? lol!

They can take her out I will chaperone,yeah right lol!

Sounds like a good episode of Miami C.S.I. - Tennis pro has a heart attack on court after making out with woman of the night.-

Did anyone happen to get Pamela's Cellphone #?

(sorry, reposting here)

Beckham,
There were definitely a many inconsistencies in Gasquet's defense. Seems like the ITF Tribunal weighed heavily on Gasquet's character and propensity to tell the truth. I'm not sure this would all fly in an actual court of law. The Tribunal couldn't even verify "Pamela's" surname for goodness sakes. Not to mention the conflicting evidence on whether "Pamela" ingested cocaine.

*scratches head*

I was rolling on the floor when I read that this entire incident caused "Pamela" much distress because she was living with a man the time.

I am totally happy that Richard will be back on tour . I heard about this defense via some articles I read in french papers online - while I find this defense to be somewhat suspect - the defense team apparently found experts who would testify that this is a believable way to get that little cocaine in your system, and they ran with it .
As for Rafa - remember , Rafa made a statement that he had spoken to Richard before the French , and clearly - Richard told him the circumstances of the evening and what he was thinking was the cause - no one is accusing Rafa here of drug use
He came out in defense of Richard . end of story there
I will be interested to see when Richard returns to the tour - but his ranking is still in the 30's - so he should be able to get direct entry into the hardcourt Masters and US Open

Having met this young man , I do believe that he is a babe in the woods. He is shy , painfully so . He very much keeps to himself - and seems so much younger than his 23 years . He is one of the most incredibly naive 20 somethings I have ever met .

I do feel sorry for Hingis - but it was my understanding that she chose not to appeal the decision .

Beckham -- I absolutely agree, and in my rambly post, I just tried to contrast the two decisions.

Tennisfan 2, I thought the same thing when I read apple juice, I was like this can't get any better. Get real!!!

"Sounds like a good episode of Miami C.S.I. - Tennis pro has a heart attack on court after making out with woman of the night.-"

Looks like our tennis pro here was...

*Caruso pause*

'served' more than he was used to.

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!

I keep trying to post stuff and nothing shows up...irritating. Testing, testing...

Hingis' 'bad-handling' test would have had legs had they found abnormal contaminants in the sample which might have indicated improper handling. However, my understanding is her defense was "i didn't take cocaine, therefore it must have been improperly handled" doesn't hold too much scientific weight when cocaine is conclusively found.

Beth, he may be painfully shy, but we have evidence (from dreamonfire) that he is a good dancer:

http://www.ohlalamag.com/en/2008/02/gasquet-and-tso.html

:-)

This story would make a good movie, or at least an episode of House.

Famous French tennis player kisses a Pamela and turns into a raver. He's admitted to a local hospital while traveling in the US on tour, after having been banged up in a mosh pit in Miami. Dr. House sets his team in motion. Drug tests come back with hints of cocaine in French tennis player's blood. However, the doc team continues to be perplexed as tennis player comes down with a bizarre form of rare cancer only seen in children raised in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. After CT scans, MRIs, and countless conversations with Dr. House, which make no sense to the viewing audience, the French tennis player throws off his sheets with a magnificent one-handed backhand and proceeds to walk out of the hospital recovered and ready to dance on the tennis courts of life.

>>"Looks like our tennis pro here was...

*Caruso pause*

'served' more than he was used to."

*Dies*

Beth I agree with Richard being very shy and does keep to himself,as Missie and even briony knows this.Briony when first heard of this news like Missie could not believe such a thing at all.

Even the other day she said to me before the outcome I still dont believe he would do such a thing.