Hingis Nets 2-Year Ban for Coke

Ex-top player must return Wimbledon prize money
By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 4, 2008 3:17 PM CST
Hingis Nets 2-Year Ban for Coke
China's Sun Tiantian returns the ball to Martina Hingis of Switzerland during the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing, Monday, Sept. 18, 2007. Hingis won a straight set on the match with 6-2, 6-3. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)   (Associated Press)

Martina Hingis received a 2-year ban from competitive tennis today after testing positive for cocaine at last year's Wimbledon tournament, the BBC reports. The former world No. 1 had already announced her retirement, so the ban may not mean much, but she also has to return about $130,000 in prize money from her third-place Wimbledon finish and from subsequent events, the AP reports.

Hingis, ranked 19th at the time, angrily denied the drug charges when they were announced in November. But ITF officials rejected her contention that the sample came from someone else. The five-time Grand Slam winner has 3 weeks to appeal today's ruling, but "since Martina has retired from competitive sports, it makes no sense for her to challenge the judgment," her manager said. (More Martina Hingis stories.)

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