FACUNDO BAGNIS BREAKS SILENCE ON DOPING VIOLATION

Facundo Bagnis has issued a statement following a doping case that resulted in a 12-month suspension from professional tennis. The Argentine tested positive for hydrochlorothiazide, a diuretic banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), after losing in the US Open qualifying round last year. According to Bagnis, the substance entered his system through contamination in a vitamin capsule prescribed by his doctor, whom he said he had trusted to provide a reliable and safe supplement.

Bagnis accepted a provisional suspension voluntarily in October and cooperated fully with the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) investigation. He provided documented evidence of doctor appointments and purchase receipts, and submitted the remaining vitamin capsules for testing to a WADA-affiliated laboratory. The tests supported his account of the contamination, leading the ITIA to find "no significant fault or negligence" on his part whilst considering mitigating factors and precedent from comparable cases.

In a statement published on his official Instagram account, Bagnis stated he is "reinventing and giving my best every day" as he moves forward with his professional career. He thanked those who supported him through what he described as "a very sad and painful episode". The 12-month suspension means Bagnis will be sidelined from competitive tennis during this period.