France's Richard Gasquet has been provisionally suspended from tennis after testing positive for cocaine, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) said yesterday.

"He's under investigation with respect to ITF's anti-doping programme. Under WADA terms, once B sample confirms A sample, we have to provisionally suspend him," Stuart Miller, the ITF's head of Science and Technical, told Reuters.

"From the point of B sample being known to the end of hearing, it should be no longer than 60 days."

Gasquet confirmed on Sunday he had failed the test at last month's Miami tournament but has denied any wrongdoing.

Until this year, tennis players who had failed a drugs test could continue to play in tournaments until they had a chance to appeal the findings.

Only if they failed to clear their names at a tribunal would the ITF hand out bans.

From January this year the ITF have followed the rules of the World Anti-doping Agency (WADA) and hence have suspended Gasquet before the Frenchman has had a chance to contest the samples.

Under WADA rules, athletes must stop playing within 10 days of being notified of the findings of the A sample.

(Reuters via China Daily May 12, 2009)