Indian tennis player Parikshit Somani handed 4-year ban in doping case
Indian tennis player Parikshit Somani has been handed a four-year ban after testing positive for the prohibited substance trimetazidine during an ATP Challenger event in Astana, Kazakhstan, last year.
The 26-year-old Somani, who reached a career-high doubles ranking of No. 256, provided a urine sample during the tournament on July 31, 2025. The sample tested positive for trimetazidine, a substance prohibited at all times under the World Anti-Doping Agency's Prohibited List.
"An independent tribunal has suspended Indian tennis player Parikshit Somani for four years under tennis' anti-doping rules," the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said.
Somani was provisionally suspended on September 23, 2025, and the four-year period of ineligibility will run until September 2029. The tribunal also disqualified his results from the Astana event and those obtained until September 23, 2025, with the loss of ranking points, prize money and other associated awards.SOMANI’S FOOD CONTAMINATION DEFENCE REJECTED
Somani attempted to explain the adverse finding by claiming that the trimetazidine had entered his system through food prepared by a family member. In late 2025, while provisionally suspended, he accessed the ITIA's player support programme to investigate possible sources of contamination. However, the products he identified tested negative for trimetazidine at a WADA-accredited laboratory in Salt Lake City, USA.
"In late 2025, while provisionally suspended, Somani accessed the ITIA's player support programme to investigate multiple prospective sources of contamination, but the products tested negative for trimetazidine at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)-accredited laboratory in Salt Lake City, USA," the ITIA said.
In February 2026, Somani presented his food contamination explanation, which formed the basis of his defence at a hearing before an independent tribunal on August 19.
"This became the basis of Somani's explanation at a hearing before an independent tribunal on 19 August 2026," the ITIA said.
The tribunal considered expert scientific opinions presented by both Somani and the ITIA before rejecting the proposed contamination mechanisms. It concluded that the theories were "scientifically implausible", "highly speculative", and "unconvincing".
The tribunal also determined that Somani had failed to establish the source of the prohibited substance found in his sample. As a result, it found that no mitigating circumstances applied and imposed the mandatory four-year suspension under tennis' anti-doping rules.- EndsPublished By: sabyasachi chowdhuryPublished On: Sep 23, 2026 23:42 IST
