American tennis player Spears handed 22-month doping ban

LONDON (AP) American tennis player Abigail Spears was handed a 22-month doping ban on Wednesday after a positive test from last year's U.S. Open.

The 38-year-old Spears has won 21 women's doubles titles during her career and won the mixed doubles title at the Australian Open in 2017.

Her urine sample was found to have contained two prohibited substances, prasterone and testosterone, the International Tennis Federation said.

Spears was charged and provisionally suspended on Nov. 7. The ITF accepted her explanation that her use of the substances was unconnected to sports performance, but said ''her fault was deemed to be high.''

The ban was backdated to start on the day Spears was provisionally suspended. It ends at midnight on Sept. 6, 2021.

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