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Zahlavova Strycova handed backdated ban
Czech tennis player Barbora Zahlavova Strycova has received a six-month ban for taking an illegal stimulant.
Zahlavova Strycova - the world number 124 - received a backdated suspension, making her eligible for a return to the WTA Tour after April 15. The 26-year-old was found to have ingested a stimulant known as sibutramine after being tested at the Luxembourg Open in October. However, the International Tennis Federation accepted her reasoning that it was an inadvertent ingestion via a supplement known as ACAI Berry Thin. Zahlavova Strycova will be stripped of the 17 rankings points gained at the Luxembourg tournament, and the Bueschl Open in Germany which she competed in the following week. She will also lose the prizemoney she collected across that fortnight - which tallies up to US$2865. Zahlavova Strycova, a two-time junior grand slam winner, has failed to reach such heights on the senior circuit, with her best performances in grand slams the third round at Wimbledon and the Australian Open.
