Tennis launches new program offering players legal and mental health support during doping cases.
Tennis’s global governing body is trying a new approach to handling doping and corruption cases. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced a new trial program offering players under investigation free legal help, confidential mental health support, and funding for product testing. The move is designed to reduce both the financial and emotional burden faced by athletes who find themselves accused of violating anti-doping or anti-corruption rules.
Under the pilot program, players can receive up to $5,000 to have a World Anti-Doping Agency–accredited laboratory test supplements or medications for contamination. They can also use the funds to analyze other potential sources of tainted substances, such as meat — an explanation that has appeared in several high-profile doping cases in recent years. The program will run through next year before being reviewed for possible permanent adoption.
Sport Resolutions, the independent tribunal service that oversees tennis doping hearings, has also expanded its free legal support. Previously, players could access this help only after being formally charged. Now, they can seek assistance immediately after testing positive for a banned substance. This change allows athletes to receive early legal guidance and better understand their rights before facing disciplinary action.
At the same time, Sporting Chance — a nonprofit specializing in athlete well-being — will provide six free counseling sessions for players facing anti-doping or anti-corruption investigations. The goal, according to ITIA CEO Karen Moorhouse, is to recognize the toll such cases can take on an athlete’s mental health. Moorhouse said the organization understands that these situations can be “both financially and emotionally costly,” and that players deserve compassion regardless of the outcome of their case.
The ITIA’s move comes after two major doping controversies that shook professional tennis last year. Both involved top-ranked players and Grand Slam champions, Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek. Sinner accepted a three-month suspension that ended in April, after an initial ITIA ruling cleared him but was later challenged by the World Anti-Doping Agency. His case was eventually resolved with a finding of accidental contamination from an anabolic steroid.
Swiatek also faced a ban — one month, partly served during the off-season — after a test revealed traces of a prohibited substance. She maintained that a contaminated over-the-counter medication caused the positive result. Both players have since returned to competition, but their cases reignited debate over fairness, transparency, and consistency in how doping violations are handled in tennis.
The ITIA’s initiative may help ease that tension by offering more transparency and fairness in the process. Some players, including 24-time major winner Novak Djokovic, have publicly questioned whether high-profile stars receive preferential treatment compared to lesser-known athletes. The agency’s new support programs could help level the playing field, ensuring that every player — regardless of ranking or financial means — has access to the same legal and emotional resources.
By addressing both the human and procedural sides of doping investigations, the ITIA hopes to repair trust within the sport. The combination of legal guidance, mental health counseling, and contamination testing offers a safety net that could prevent misunderstandings from spiraling into career-ending scandals. While it remains to be seen how the trial program performs, tennis officials view it as a step toward a more fair, empathetic, and transparent approach to integrity in professional sports.
Sources:
Tennis players accused of doping or match-fixing can now get financial and mental-health support
Join the conversation!