Real Madrid have branded accusations by a French politician that Rafael Nadal tested positive for doping as ‘unjustifiable and unacceptable’ as the La Liga giants leapt to the Spaniard’s defence.
A former minister in France claimed earlier this week that the former world No 1’s seven-month absence from tennis in 2012 was due to testing positive for banned substances rather than treatment for a knee injury.
Roselyne Bachelot’s claims came days after Maria Sharapova revealed she had tested positive for Meldonium, a banned substance as of January 1.
But Real Madrid, who describe Nadal as one of the greatest sportsman of all time, have come out in defence of the 14-time Grans Slam winner.
A statement read: ‘Real Madrid C.F. would like to express their full support to our honorary member, Rafa Nadal, undoubtedly one of the greatest sportsmen of all time in Spain and in the world.
‘Rafa Nadal represents the fundamental values of sport. His greatness and his incredible achievements have always been based upon a foundation of exemplary conduct, unwavering work, talent and astonishing levels of commitment.
‘This being the case, our institution considers the attacks made on his person by former minister Roselyne Bachelot to be unjustifiable and unacceptable.
‘Real Madrid C.F. consider the close ties to an idol such as Nadal to be an honour, such is his status as a symbol sporting excellence. Nadal is admired and adored by millions of fans the world over, and today our club is standing firmly by his side.’
Speaking to French public affairs programme Le Grand 8, Bachelot said: ‘We know that the famous injury which kept Nadal out for seven months is without any doubt because he tested positive.
‘When you see a tennis player who stops playing for long months, it is because he has tested positive and because they are covering it up. It is not something that always happens, but yes it happens more than you think.’
Nadal’s career has been in steady decline in recent years as he has struggled with injury and was knocked out in the first round of the Australian Open earlier this year.
Claims of doping by Nadal have also been rejected by the International Tennis Federation:
A spokesman said: ‘Accusations of (former sports minister) Roselyne Bachelot against Rafael Nadal are not only surprising, but also incorrect.
They also stated that any doping violations have to be made public as required by the rules of the world anti-doping code.
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