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1/5/10 6:57 PM | Johan Lindahl
Belgian Xavier Malisse has revealed that he went through tennis and career hell after being banned for a year for missing obligatory anti-doping test appointments.
But with draconian punishment reversed last month by the top sports appeal body in Switzerland, the 29-year-old former Wimbledon semi-finalist is breathing easier as he competes this week in Brisbane.
Malisse said he took refuge in his base in Florida to get away from pressure in his home nation of Belgium. "For about a month to a month-and-a-half, I went to Florida just to clear my head a little bit because it did get tough being in Belgium," said the one-time Top 20 contender. "Obviously there was a lot of questions -- that's just normal."
The one-year sanction was imposed for missing three "whereabouts" anti-doping tests in 2009. Players are required to report their location for an hour per day every day of the year in and out of season.
The strict requirement has drawn fire from Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal as well as the women's WTA, which says that players are easily found during tournament weeks.
"It hard when they take away your career. You start thinking and looking at things a little differently," said Malisse. "I couldn't get motivated to work out or do anything.
"I would have liked to spend my holidays a little bit different but . . . but you've got to get going, forget about it and try to focus on what's coming next.
"It's been a roller-coaster the last two to three months," he told Australian media.
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