Tennis group starts free legal aid for doping cases

The Professional Tennis Players Association is launching the Athlete Counsel & Equity Program, a pro-bono legal initiative to help players in anti-doping and anti-corruption cases.

Partnering with two law firms, King & Spalding LLP and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, the program that was announced Wednesday was co-founded by WTA player Tara Moore following her experience navigating the legal system as she successfully appealed a doping ban.

The PTPA will be responsible for the initial intake process and then will connect players with legal counsel, free of charge. Both law firms have substantial experience in sports law.

Doping in tennis has become a growing conversation. World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who won his third major title at the Australian Open on Sunday, tested positive for clostebol twice in March 2024. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced the findings in August ahead of the US Open and determined the exposure had been accidental and Sinner would not be suspended. The World Anti-Doping Agency has since appealed that decision, and Sinner will have a hearing in April. He is facing a one- to two-year ban.

Moore, 32, tested positive for boldenone and nandrolone, both banned substances, during a tournament in Bogota, Colombia, in April 2022. She was made aware of the findings via email while playing at the French Open the following month and immediately provisionally suspended. Moore, who had been ranked No. 83 in doubles at the time and was the No. 1 British doubles player, spent the next year and a half fighting to prove her innocence, and working as a coach to help pay her bills.

In an interview Tuesday with ESPN, Moore said she felt she had few resources provided to her at the time by the WTA and had to figure out the process on her own and find her own legal representation. She called it a “very dark period” of her life, during which her mental health was in jeopardy and she was suicidal at times.

Ultimately, with the help of her attorneys, Moore proved the substances stemmed from contaminated meat consumed in Colombia. The ITIA ultimately cleared Moore in December 2023 after an independent tribunal determined she “bore no fault or negligence for [the] adverse analytical findings and [is] therefore not subject to a period of ineligibility.”

Moore returned to competition in April 2024 but had lost all of her ranking points after the extended period of inactivity. She is now ranked No. 228 in doubles and last played in the Australian Open, where she lost in the first round alongside Julia Grabher.

Moore said the ITIA is appealing her case and she’s slated for a new hearing in March with the possibility of a suspension looming. In addition to the taxing emotional toll, she estimates she’s “drowning” in nearly $500,000 of debt throughout the legal process. Her experience made her want to help others facing similar situations.

“I wouldn’t want anyone to go through this, not even my worst enemy,” Moore said. “I really wouldn’t. With this initiative, I wish I had this option. Obviously, this is a worst-case scenario for tennis players, but I’m hoping for others, they will feel a little more safe because they have resources and help. We don’t have coverage or assistance from our actual governing bodies, like the WTA or the ATP, and for those [ranked] outside of the top 50, you most likely don’t have the money to pay for it and are screwed. It’s scary but that’s where the PTPA and this program can come in.”

Moore, who has been vocal about her experience throughout, had been independently researching to see whether there would be interest in creating some type of legal assistance for players, and a representative from King & Spalding LLP heard about it and reached out. From there, Moore went to the PTPA — who aided her during her case — to gauge its interest in starting the initiative. The organization, founded by Novak Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil in 2020, then contacted Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP to ask whether it would come on board.

In a statement, Tom Sprange KC, the managing partner of King & Spalding’s London office, said his firm was proud to help “address this critical need” in the sport.

“When looking to defend their professional integrity, tennis players are faced with convoluted and costly legal processes, often without access to sufficient financial or legal support,” Sprange said. “These players can find themselves in exposed, vulnerable situations and deserve robust frameworks that ensure their careers and reputations are not unfairly jeopardized by a lack of resources.”

Drew Tulumello, the co-head of Weil, Gotshal & Manges’ complex commercial litigation group, added the tennis ecosystem “made it financially impossible for most players to defend themselves fairly” and said his team was “eager” to provide assistance.

Moore said the average person doesn’t realize the lengths most players go to stay compliant, including avoiding over-the-counter flu medications or store-bought vitamins or, in her case, wearing gloves while putting CBD oil in her elderly dog’s food to help ease his arthritis symptoms. She believes having such high-profile players test positive for various banned substances proves that accidents can happen.

“If this still can happen to them,” Moore said, “what’s stopping it from happening to anyone?”

Moore, who admits to feeling anxious about her upcoming hearing with the ITIA, is hopeful her story and the ACE program can make it easier for the next player going through a comparable case.

“We want players to immediately know where they can turn and who can help them,” she said. “I sort of was thrown into this world and had to figure it out myself, but because of that, I’ve heard from so many people who have been through similar issues, and that’s been a catalyst for me to want to try and help future players.”