Tennis players can no longer have faith in the systems that are meant to protect them – that much is clear after Australian tennis player Max Purcell was given an 18-month ban for an over-the-limit intravenous infusion.
Players want a fair sport, they want an equal sport, but when Jannik Sinner receives a three-month ban for having a prohibited substance in his system, and Max is banned for six times that length, it’s hard not to believe the system has failed its players.
Australian tennis player Max Purcell.Credit: Getty Images
I was one of Jannik’s biggest and most vocal supporters, and I still am. I believe that doping incidents need to be looked at on a case-by-case basis, and I agreed with WADA’s ruling that the tiny amount in Jannik’s system was neither performance-enhancing nor intentional.
But I have to stick up for Max. It’s hard not to think there has been some kind of preferential treatment for someone like Jannik or Iga Swiatek – another former world No. 1 player – who have comparatively gotten off lightly for having banned substances in their systems.
But fast-forward a few months to Max having the book thrown at him for some fluids, I think is absolutely ludicrous.
Jannik Sinner after winning the 2025 Australian Open.Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui
Let’s remember, Max did not have a prohibited substance in his system. He received a legal injection, but was found by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) to have used a “prohibited method” by receiving infusions of more than 500 millilitres.
This is just another case that highlights how many shades of grey exists between the black and white of tennis.
Max is a two-time grand slam doubles champion, and now he will miss the next five majors.
On the flip side, Jannik didn’t miss one. He was allowed to compete at the 2024 US Open – which he won – and defend his Australian Open title while the case played out in the background, and he will be back from his ban in time for the next slam on the 2025 calendar, the French Open at Roland Garros.
Max Purcell (left) and Jordan Thompson won the men’s doubles at the 2024 US Open.Credit: Getty Images
Max’s case also exacerbates where the tours are at right now. We have to remember that the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) – the player’s union founded by Novak Djokovic – is in the middle of a court battle with the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).
If you go into the court case, anti-corruption and anti-doping measures in sport are mentioned. Players already have concerns about the methods of testing and the frequency and invasiveness of testing, and the inconsistencies in the verdicts handed down heightens the tensions between the sport’s governing bodies and its players.
I am completely shocked by the severity of Max’s case, and I sympathise with him. He has been a teammate of mine in the Australian Davis Cup team, and I was hopeful that the reason the verdict was taking so long to hand down was because it would be favourable for Max.
But that isn’t the case, and the longer these things get dragged out, the harder it is on the player, regardless of the outcome.
This has obviously been a really taxing time for Max, and it’s crucial in these next 18 months that he gets support from his friends, teammates and the federation.
But this is a significant ban, and it fuels a fire that has been burning in tennis for the past year.
It becomes extremely challenging when players start to lose faith in the system, and Max’s case only emphasises the fact that there are different rules for different players.
John Millman is a commentator on Nine’s Australian Open coverage
