World Anti-Doping Agency chief Dick Pound has come to the support of Greg Rusedski in his fight to clear his name of doping.
Pound admitted that tennis officials would find it hard to ban the British number two if the player could prove his positive test for the steroid nandrolone had resulted from a supplement given to him by ATP trainers.
"If it is established that it was somebody acting on behalf of the ATP - if this was policy - then it is very hard for the same organisation to do anything about it," Pound told a British newspaper.
"I hope we can get our report done (on other positive tests in tennis) prior to Rusedski's appeal so at least we can have some of the confusion taken out of the mix."
Rusedksi has claimed he should not have been charged because in the last 16 months 46 other players on the ATP Tour have been found to have had elevated nandrolone levels.
Last year the ATP dropped charges against seven of them after it was discovered the higher levels may have been caused by ATP trainers providing the players with the supplements in the form of tablets and drinks.
The other 39 were not charged because their nandrolone levels, while higher than usual, were below the legal limit.
Rusedski is to face an ATP tribunal at Montreal on Feb 9.
Filed by Sinéad Kissane
