Britain's Dan Evans has been handed a one-year ban from tennis after testing positive for cocaine.
The 27-year-old was discovered to have cocaine in his system at the Barcelona Open in April, and the International Tennis Federation has now imposed a 12-month suspension on the Brit.
However, the ban will be backdated to the day the positive sample was provided, meaning that Evans will be free to return to the sport on April 24, 2018.
"A decision has been issued under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (the "Programme") that Daniel Evans has committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation under Article 2.1 of the Programme. It was agreed that a period of one year's ineligibility should be imposed, commencing on 24 April 2017," read a statement from the ITF.
"Mr. Evans, a 27-year-old player from Great Britain provided a urine sample on 24 April 2017 in association with his participation in the Barcelona Open, an ATP World Tour event, held in Barcelona, Spain.
"That sample was sent to the World Anti-Doping Agency ("WADA") accredited laboratory in Montreal, Canada for analysis, and was found to contain cocaine and its metabolite. Cocaine is a Non-Specified substance prohibited under category S6 of the 2017 WADA Prohibited List (stimulants), and therefore is also prohibited under the Programme."
The ITF has also banned Bulgarian Dimitar Kutrovsky for two years after he tested positive for D-methamphetamine.
Barney Corkhill
