Kazakhstan tennis player handed 4-year ban over doping violation

A 21-year-old tennis player from Kazakhstan was banned for four years for doping, the International Tennis Integrity Agency said Tuesday, including with an anabolic substance that has no legally approved use.

Arslanbek Aitkulov reached his highest men's singles ranking of 1,250 in November 2023.

Two months later he tested positive for ligandrol and the stimulant methylhexanamine at a lower-tier event in Qatar, the ITIA said.

Ligandrol is a research chemical with muscle-building properties that is not legally approved for use in medications.

Aitkulov was provisionally suspended last year during the investigation and will stay banned until March 2028.