Korda Loses in Different Court

Czech Republic tennis star Petr Korda was dealt a setback Thursday when the Court of Appeal in London unanimously ruled that the International Tennis Federation could take its appeal of his drug case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Korda, the 1998 Australian Open champion, tested positive for a banned steroid, nandrolone, at Wimbledon last year, and escaped the mandatory one-year suspension when an ITF independent appeals panel decided that there were “exceptional circumstances” and waived the ban. He did lose his prize money and rankings points from Wimbledon, however.

In January, Korda blocked an appeal by ITF when the High Court in London ruled in his favor. Tour players have been critical of the light penalty, and Korda has struggled on the tennis court this year, going 5-6. Korda, who has said he does not know how the substance got into his system, has not won a match in his last two tournaments.

“We have always maintained that the Court of Arbitration for Sport is the appropriate forum to resolve this case,” said Brian Tobin, president of the ITF. “The ITF believes that the independent appeals panel misapplied the tennis anti-doping rules when reaching its initial decision.”