Croatian tennis star Marin Cilic said that he plans to appeal the nine-month ban on tour sanctioned by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
The 24-year old pro was given the sanction since one of his tests came back positive for a banned stimulated called “Nikethamide.” (see related article HERE).
“I will appeal to the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport very soon,” Cilic said in an interview by hts.hr.
“I would like to stress that I have never in my life knowingly or deliberately taken any banned substance.
“I had no knowledge that they contain a substance that is prohibited for competition (although it is allowed out of competition).
“I am disappointed that at this moment I cannot say more about the case, but I’ll do it as soon as the legal process is completed. Then I will answer every question that is asked about this case.”
If the ban stays, Cilic will be allowed to compete on tour as early as February 2014 which means he won’t be able to participate at the Australian Open 2014 tournament which takes place in January.
