Swedish tennis player Mikael Ymer announced on Friday that he would end his professional career after being suspended for 18 months in July for failing to pass three doping tests for failing to disclose his whereabouts.
“I have decided to retire from professional tennis,” Ymer wrote on Twitter, renamed “X”.
In July, the 24-year-old explained that he had been accused in January 2022 by the International Tennis Federation of having missed three out-of-competition tests over a period of twelve months.
Claiming to have never used illegal substances, he disputed these accusations and was initially cleared. But after an appeal filed by the federation, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) suspended the Swede for 18 months in July.
According to the CAS, Ymer had not indicated in advance where he would be on April 22, August 10 and November 7, 2021, while athletes must notify in advance of their schedule to allow investigators to locate them in unannounced test case. From the third failure, they incur sanctions.
In his social media post, Ymer reiterated that he was suspended despite having “never used or been accused of using banned substances”. “I find their decision to try me again and convict me unfair,” he added.
The Swedish player remained on a defeat in the third round of Wimbledon against the Colombian Daniel Galan.