The world No.1 doubles player Robert Farah has been ruled out of the Australian Open after testing positive for doping.
The 32-year old Colombian was told by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) that a steroid known as Boldenone was found in his system from a doping test from October last year.
Farah said via social media that it was one of the worst moments of his life but denied that he had done any wrong.
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“I’m going through one of the saddest moments of my life and, without a doubt, the saddest of my sporting career," he said.
“With my team and a group of advisers we’re looking into the steps to take in a process in which we hope to show that I’ve never used any products that violate fair play and ethics."
Boldenone is widely used on cows to enhance their growth, but it is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
There is a possibility that Boldenone could have a presence in beef, and Farah admitted himself that 'he's sure that’s what generated the result'.
In 2018, the Colombian Olympic Committee warned its athletes about the potential of this happening from eating beef.
Farah was tested two weeks prior to the positive test in question however that came back negative, and was tested more than 15 times throughout the past year.
He and fellow Colombian Juan Sebastian Cabal won the Wimbledon and US Opens doubles titles last year, and were runners-up at the Australian Open in 2018.
