Posted: 11.05.09 20:13. Post subject: Ришар Гаске

Ришар Гаске: «Я намерен доказать свою невиновность»

Двадцать первая ракетка мира француз Ришар Гаске, обвиняемый в употреблении запрещенного препарата, намерен отстаивать свою невиновность.

В понедельник ITF отстранила спортсмена от соревнований до проведения заседания антидопингового трибунала, которое состоится в течение ближайших 60 дней. Положительный результат на кокаин дала допинг-проба Гаске, взятая у него во время турнира в Майами в конце марта нынешнего года.

«Анализ пробы «Б» подтвердил положительный результат пробы «А». Однако, я намерен доказать свою невиновность и дам объяснения в назначенное время. Учитывая сложность ситуации, я сейчас собираю доказательства своей невиновности. В скором времени я сообщу дату, когда смогу дать дальнейшие комментарии», – цитирует Гаске РИА Новости.

 Posted: 12.05.09 21:11. Post subject: Тим Хенмэн: «В случа..

Тим Хенмэн: «В случае с Гаске надо изучить факты, прежде чем судить о ситуации»

Я думаю, что большинство игроков, которые знают Ришара, очень удивлены случившимся. Но я думаю, что надо изучить факты, прежде чем судить. Я надеюсь, что у него есть объяснения тому, что произошло, потому что он большой талант и действительно хороший парень», – приводит слова британца Tennis Week

 Posted: 13.05.09 15:52. Post subject: Blow-ing It Posted 0..

Blow-ing It
Posted 05/12/2009 @ 2 :30 PM
by Pete Bodo
TENNIS.com



If you're a die-hard Richard Gasquet fan - that is, if you still buy into all that "Baby Federer" stuff, remain bowled over by that ornate one-handed backhand, or simply enjoy showering your affection on someone truly undeserving, like that cad of a boyfriend who always let you down (I know it's your birthday, but I told the guys I'd go to the game with them!) - the news that Gasquet been suspended for testing positive for cocaine should have come as no great surprise.This guy has always been determined to leave no stone unturned in his quest to sabotage himself.

It's pretty much been that way since Ree-shard first exploded on the scene, taking "Adult Federer" out in a high-profile clash in Monte Carlo in 2005. Surely you remember Ree-shard back then - a long-haired stripling of 20, with strikingly sloped shoulders and a habit of coiling up to hit his backhand like a hammer-thrower getting ready to unload. Since then, Gasquet has faithfully mined all the meaning out of the word "unpredictable" and moved on, seemingly to give us a new and richer understanding of the word, "unreliable."

The wag in me wants to write that Gasquet has been about as trustworthy as that long-forgotten coke head pal of yours, but let's remember that Gasquet claims he's innocent. He'll get his chance to prove it at a hearing sometime in the medium-future (the ITF will convene a panel to hear his case, hopefully but not necessarily within 60 days). So Gasquet is out of commission for the French Open, and that makes the wag in me say, Hmmmm, maybe Richard planned it this way. . .

After all, Gasquet has been to the third round at Roland Garros only once (2005), and he's carrying on a grand tradition of French players of either gender going wobbly in the knees when they sense that the French public expects something of them. Last year, Gasquet found a straightforward way to push back against the pressure: he claimed injury and skipped Roland Garros altogether. Whatever ailed him did not prevent Gasquet from playing a full menu of warm-up clay events (outside of French borders, of course), or from jumping back into the fray on the grass courts of Queens Club immediately after Rafael Nadal won Roland Garros for the 54th consecutive time (okay, I exaggerate). Gasquet was so happy to get the French portion of the tour over that he celebrated with a quarterfinal at Queens..

A few weeks later at Wimbledon, Scotsman Andy Murray did his best Gasquet-in-Paris impersonation, going down by two sets and a service break with his countrymen looking on, mortified. But remember, Murray was playing Ree-shard, so turning it around was not the Herculean task it might have seemed. Gasquet served for the match, Murray broke him, and the next thing you know, Murray is flexing his muscles on television as he closes out the five-setter - thereby postponing the customary national heartbreak for 48 hours. Just in case you thought Gasquet got it out of his system at Wimbledon, he lost a similar match at the first Grand Slam event of '09, winning the first two sets before losing to Fernando Gonzalez, 12-10 in the fifth. It's the kind of thing that can lead you to drink, or worse. . .

Gasquet has demonstrated that his talent for producing drama outweighs his ability to produce titles. And it's curious that someone who so often seems to lack heart can be so expert at breaking hearts. Remember the Davis Cup quarterfinal tie against the USA in Winston-Salem, N.C., last year? The host team quickly racked up two singles wins, but the French found a way to beat Bob and Mike Bryan to take the doubles.

In a hole but still alive, French captain Guy Forget decided to shoot the moon and insert Richard Gasquet to battle Andy Roddick in the first of the reverse singles. There was just one problem: Gasquet didn't really feel like playing. If you want to see Forget's reaction to Gasquet's decision, just read Bonnie Ford's excellent eyewitness description of the incident here. Ultimately, Forget had to stick with Paul-Henri Mathieu, and the U.S. closed out the tie with no trouble.

All these incidents make you wonder what went wrong, given that Gasquet was the undisputed junior world champion in 2002 (he won Roland Garros and the U.S. Open that year). He isn't the first player who failed to back up his junior promise on the main tour; that story has been re-told, many times. But in most cases (think Donald Young), there are clear, game and/or physically-based reasons that explain why a guy or girl struggles. Gasquet has none of the the shortcomings that lay other gifted juniors low (lack of power, poor movement, an attack-able weakness); he's been ranked as high as no. 8 and he's bagged 5 titles in 6 ATP tour finals. He doesn't seem burned out as much as he appears lost and incapable of mustering a sufficiently high-degree of desire. Or maybe he's suffering from a loss of faith in his chosen profession. Whatever the cause, Gasquet is the moth to tennis's flame.

Now Gasquet probably will have a significant period of time to figure out what exactly he wants out of life, or out of his tennis. This may not be a bad thing at all, given that he's talented enough to sleepwalk through a career, haul in a ton of money, and wake up at age 30, wondering why he was never a factor at major events. Maybe a suspension will do the guy good. And he doesn't have to worry about alienating his peers, because they don't view him as a pariah, the way they might a player caught using performance enhancing drugs. Cocaine is banned mostly because of the message the Lords of Tennis (and most other sports) want to convey and the image they wish to project. Coke isn't classed as a performance-enhancing drug because it's a short term stimulant, and once its effects wear off the user is somewhat debilitated - not exactly the state in which you wish to find yourself midway through the third-set in a match at Roland Garros.

For that reason, the ITF changed its cocaine policy and now distinguishes between players who come up positive in out-of-competition testing (testers can summon players to submit urine samples anytime, anywhere) and those who test positive during an event. You remember the Martina Hingis case: she tested positive after losing a match at Wimbledon in 2007 and was slapped with a two-year suspension, effectively driving her into a second premature retirement. Gasquet tested positive at the Sony-Ericsson Open, where he withdrew from the draw (citing a bad shoulder) after he was tested but before he hit a ball. I assume that the ITF will treat Gasquet's test as an in-competition case.

Gasquet appears to be preparing the Hingis defense, relying on hair samples that ostensibly show no sign of cocaine in his system. But those hair samples were analyzed on May 7, a good six weeks after he tested positive. Hingis abandoned her defense, having decided that the negative publicity arising from a prolonged legal battle would only further tarnish her reputation. Besides, she was almost 27 when she tested positive, and in the midst of a comeback that was producing mixed results. The suspension became the factor that clinched her decision to quit for good.

I feel torn about the way recreational drugs are part of the drug-testing regimen. It just makes the game look bad when a player gets caught - and they inevitably will get caught - doing something that so many of their players peers have done, or will do. By trying to show the world that the sport is squeaky clean, tennis ends up making itself look bad by embracing standards that are an especially distasteful blend of unrealistic and dehumanizing.

The powers that be ought to do everything to ensure that the game is clean and free of performance-enhancing drugs, but that's where it ends. Cocaine is a "recreational" drug; tennis-playing users enjoy no professional benefit, and very likely suffer serious disadvantages from using it. Someone connecting the dots may now wonder if Gasquet's fluctuating fortunes are somehow connected to his presumed use of cocaine, and nobody will ever know. Is it worth it? Does tennis need to have these episodes that are so much like show trials, and do they serve their purpose in making the sport appear clean, or do they end up making the sport look dirty - dirtier than it really is, all things considered?

Given the age and lifestyle of today's pros, it's unrealistic to imagine that they aren't exposed to cocaine and other recreational drugs. Marat Safin (who else?), made an interesting comment when he told the Associated Press: "Everyone makes mistakes. I feel sorry for Gasquet. When you're at a party, at a huge table full of people having fun, it's absurd to have to watch what glass you're drinking from. Testing for doping is also becoming very intrusive. It gets to the point where you almost feel you should be calling the ATP to tell them where you are after you leave a party."

I think if you pressed Safin, he'd admit that the bit about watching whose glass you sip from is just code. What he really means is that when you're having a good time it's easy to get careless, experiment, relax, and forget the demands of your profession, and maybe ingesting some cocaine may not be all that different from having one drink too many, or inhaling that stinky weed the way so many people of Gasquet's age have done - usually with no long-term ill effects. Besides, what do I care if Richard Gasquet uses cocaine, as long as it isn't performance enhancing and he's not driving the school bus carrying my kid, or operating the the crane I have to stand under waiting for the light to change?

Note also that the threshold for testing positive in tennis is extremely low; this is something L. Jon Wertheim pointed out in one of his My Point columns in a recent issue of Tennis magazine. Hingis showed just 42 nanograms of a metabolite (per liter) associated with cocaine in her positive test. You have to be carrying almost four times that amount to fail a drug test in the U.S.military.

Gasquet is 22; even if the ITF tribunal rejects his defense and hits him with the maximum sentence, he'll have time to salvage his career. But should he have to?

 Posted: 13.05.09 15:57. Post subject: статья Бонни Форд, н..

статья Бонни Форд, на которую выше ссылается Пит Бодо.

Pressure too much for Gasquet
By Bonnie D. Ford
Originally Published: May 11, 2009
ESPN.com

The first word that came to mind after Richard Gasquet confirmed his positive test for cocaine -- a venal sin he denies committing -- was a French word, although it gets a pretty good workout in English.

How banal. Hard on the heels of the Manny Ramirez suspension and set alongside the doping cases involving major stars in baseball, cycling and track over the past few years, Gasquet's alleged offense seems relatively mundane, a throwback to the old days when athletes abused Scotch and cigarettes rather than steroids and EPO.

The World Anti-Doping Agency code treats cocaine and other "recreational" drugs with a certain ambivalence. Coke is not considered an effective performance enhancer because its boost is so short-term and the inevitable crash that follows so counterproductive. But it is a stimulant, and it is illegal. It was one ingredient of an incendiary potion called a "Belgian cocktail" that enjoyed some popularity in cycling a few years back. (Mix cocaine, heroin and amphetamines. Shake well. Fill syringe. Inject and enjoy.)

So WADA splits the difference. If an athlete tests positive for cocaine in an out-of-competition control, it's not deemed a doping offense. A positive test during a competition, however, is treated like a regular violation, which means Gasquet could face up to a two-year suspension.

Gasquet was tested on site at the start of the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, then forfeited his first match because of a shoulder injury. Because of this timing, some reports have suggested that the test shouldn't be considered in-competition, but there's no room for interpretation on that point. Unless he decides to admit responsibility, Gasquet will be subject to the same arbitration process as all athletes covered under the WADA code, during which he can present his case and try to refute the evidence.

That might be challenging. Cocaine isn't welcome in any workplace, and millions of people worldwide are screened for it and other undesirable substances when they interview for a job. The test for cocaine has been around a long time and is considered eminently reliable.

It would be careless, at the very least, to risk having cocaine in your system during a major competition. And sadly, that thought is not terribly surprising where Gasquet is concerned.

The 22-year-old Gasquet, a former junior world champion propelled toward stardom since he was a child, has been a curiously indifferent custodian of his own talent. He seems uncomfortable in his own skin, near-phobic about having to live up to expectations and oblivious to the irritation his attitude arouses. People around him have searched, largely without success, for the fire that had to be lurking within.

One of the most remarkable unscripted off-court moments I've ever seen came during the Davis Cup quarterfinals last year, in the hallway outside the French team's locker room in Winston-Salem, N.C. Andy Roddick and James Blake had just swept the first day's singles as Gasquet watched from the bench. Captain Guy Forget, confident that his doubles team had a chance to beat the Bryan brothers the next day, was already thinking about the reverse singles on Sunday.

Gasquet was leaning against the wall, head down, looking sullen and vulnerable. Forget was in his face, speaking vehemently yet imploringly, clearly asking Gasquet to get his act together. Gasquet was just as clearly saying he couldn't.

The Bryans were indeed beaten the next day. In what proved to be the decisive singles match, Forget felt he had no choice but to send a depleted Paul-Henri Mathieu out to be slaughtered by Roddick. Gasquet spent some of his down time on the bench thumb-drumming on his mobile phone.

Gasquet's avoidance behavior denied Roddick a chance to beat the man who had broken his heart at Wimbledon in 2007, coming from two sets down in the quarterfinals. It was the kind of moment that has kept Gasquet's fans from extinguishing their personal pilot lights of hope -- brilliant, stylish and virtually error-free tennis, just when it seemed least likely.

The postmatch reactions of the two men were characteristic. Roddick, hollow-eyed and hollowed-out, could barely speak through his despair. Gasquet appeared more stunned than exultant, as if he'd witnessed an accident.

That upset lifted Gasquet to world No. 7, which was to be his high-water mark. The backslide to his current No. 21 has been long, gradual and largely unnoticed outside France, where he has been surpassed in the rankings and in national affection by compatriots Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gilles Simon. Gasquet hasn't won an ATP title since a minor tournament in Mumbai, India, in September 2007; his Grand Slam results have been desultory, and he withdrew from the French Open last year, citing injury, after admitting he didn't relish the pressure.

In an interesting commercial turn of events, the all-American Roddick -- whose trademark ball cap and roomy shirts sport the iconic French alligator logo of Lacoste -- has now been embraced by Gasquet's longtime management company and patron, Lagardere. Say what you want about Roddick, and many have, but his work ethic, his drive and his desire to perform well on big stages never flag. Meanwhile, Gasquet's alleged transgression is sure to further erode his profile in his already skeptical native country.

Gasquet was formally suspended by the International Tennis Federation sometime in the past two weeks, when the results of his A sample positive were relayed to him. It's no way to start a vacation from competition, but perhaps Gasquet -- guilty as charged, or not -- could use the time to think about whether tennis is a chore or a calling.

 Posted: 13.05.09 16:09. Post subject: В L'Equipe изнач..

В L'Equipe изначально допустили ошибку, указав, что в анализе Ришара 1460 нанограммов/мл, сегодня появилась информация о 151 нанограммах/мл. Огромная разница!
Он собирается завтра выступить со своей версией произошедшего.

 Posted: 13.05.09 16:35. Post subject: Olga я уж тогда выло..

Olga
я уж тогда выложу обе заметки, чтобы легче было понять, о каких цифрах речь.

изначальная статья из Экип:

quote:

Tennis - Dopage - Gasquet positif à la cocaïne 09/05/2009 19:59 Information L'Equipe : Des traces de cocaïne ont été retrouvées dans l'échantillon A des urines de Richard Gasquet, contrôlé à Miami alors qu'il venait de déclarer forfait pour le tournoi. Ces traces, de l'ordre de 1,46 microgramme (soit supérieures au seuil de sensibilité de 0,5 demandé à tous les laboratoires accrédités), pourraient valoir au tennisman français une suspension de deux ans si la contre-expertise corroborait la prime analyse. En effet, la cocaïne figure parmi les stimulants majeurs interdits en compétition. Le joueur français, qui nie toute prise volontaire, n'a pas souhaité réagir à l'information, mais devrait très vite effectuer des analyses capillaires afin de démontrer qu'il n'est pas consommateur régulier. Enfin, le TEAM Lagardère devrait communiquer très vite à ce sujet, probablement dimanche en milieu d'après-midi. - Damien RESSIOT

http://www.lequipe.fr/Tennis/breves2009/20090509_195949_gasquet-positif-a-la-cocaine.html

quote:

Tennis - Dopage - Des précisions sur Gasquet 13/05/2009 à 00:42:00 Richard Gasquet a été contrôlé positif à la cocaïne avec un taux de 151 nanogrammes de drogue par millilitre d'urine et non 1460 comme indiqué dans un premier temps, soit quasiment dix fois moins. «La notification de l'expertise effectuée à la demande de la Fédération internationale de tennis mentionne expressément que la quantité mesurée par ses experts est de 151 ng/ml», explique son agent dans un communiqué. Selon les normes recommandées aux laboratoires antidopage, il faut au moins 50 ng/ml pour qu'un sportif soit déclaré positif à la cocaïne. Suspendu lundi par l'ITF à titre provisoire, Gasquet, 23 ans en juin, encourt une suspension de deux ans et doit comparaître d'ici deux mois devant le tribunal antidopage de la Fédération internationale.

http://www.lequipe.fr/Tennis/breves2009/20090513_004230_des-precisions-sur-gasquet.html

 Posted: 22.05.09 20:53. Post subject: Гаске не пустят на “..

Гаске не пустят на “Ролан Гаррос”
Организаторы второго в сезоне турнира “Большого шлема” - “Ролан Гаррос”, запретили французу Ришару Гаске, который отстранен от тенниса из-за употребления кокаина, посещать матчи Открытого чемпионата Франции даже в качестве зрителя.

Лучшему в недавнем прошлом теннисисту Франции отказано в праве находиться на территории спортивного комплекса, где будут проходить игры второго в году турнира Большого Шлема. Гаске не получил аккредитацию на “Ролан Гаррос”, что, впрочем, вряд ли расстроило Ришара, который после скандала находится за пределами своей страны, сообщает РИА “Новости”.
http://www.gotennis.ru/news/?p=18439

Прочитала новость и подумалось, что как-то очень жестко организаторы поступили. Вроде разбирательства еще до конца не закончены...

 Posted: 05.06.09 03:14. Post subject: Завтра утром (в 8:50..

Утром (в 8:50 по Парижу) Ришар даст интервью на радио Europe 1.
Небольшое интервью на французском (до чего же приятно снова его увидеть, спустя месяц ожидания ). Говорит, ничего не принимал и что количество найденного кокаина в организме было настолько малым, что он даже не ощутил эффект от наркотика.

 Posted: 05.06.09 08:47. Post subject: http://www.lequipe.f..

 Posted: 05.06.09 11:41. Post subject: Ришар Гаске: «Оказыв..

Ришар Гаске: «Оказывается, на той вечеринке было какое-то невероятное количество кокаина»

Француз Ришар Гаске, в допинг-пробе которого был обнаружен кокаин и которому грозит 2-летняя дисквалификация, прокомментировал эту ситуацию.

«Когда я узнал об этом, я был в Риме, это было на следующий день после моего поражения от Фернандо Вердаско в четвертьфинале. Я пошел проверить e-mail и увидел заголовок: «Майами. Метаболиты кокаина». Я запомнил это слово «метаболиты». Я позвонил моему агенту Николасу. Я не понял этого по-английски, а эти фразы были повсюду – это было непонятно. Я попросил его посмотреть на это. Я подумал, что это новый список запрещенных вещество. А он сказал мне: «В Майами у тебя был положительный тест на кокаин».

Я возлагал большие надежды на пробу В, в это было трудно поверить. Я никогда не принимал кокаин. До этого я был на вечеринке, потом я увидел парня, который тоже там был и сказал, что ему предлагали кокаин. Оказывается, на этой вечеринке было какое-то невероятное количество кокаина. Я не видел этого. Если бы я видел это, я бы немедленно покинул клуб.

Мне всего 23, моя карьера все еще впереди», – приводит слова теннисиста TENNIS.com.
http://www.sports.ru/tennis/11707481.html