Mikael Ymer is not most people’s favorite tennis player. His behavior and attitude on the court have earned him plenty of haters. But his 18-month suspension sounds harsh given the circumstances.

Tennis players provide their location to WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) for an hour of the day so that they can be tested. When Ymer traveled to Roanne to play a Challenger there, the tournament changed his hotel. WADA showed up to test Ymer but he was not at his hotel. So he was punished for missing the drug.

A player knows how important it is to not miss a drug test. That’s especially the case if you have missed two tests already. Ymer could have been more careful but where this case gets murky is that the tribunal cleared him. ITF appealed and got Ymer his 18-month ban.

Casper Ruud was appalled at what happened to Ymer. saying

It’s a shame.. What’s surprising is that he was acquitted, but the union appealed. I thought the federation was helping the players & not trying to punish them, so it obviously shows that they are not helping the players, in this case.

Alize Cornet also supported Mikael Ymer. Cornet had to deal with a similar issue in 2018 when she was suspended after missing three doping tests. But she was acquitted after a long ordeal. Cornet expressed support for Ymer saying, “ITF keeps harassing players”.

Pedro Cachin won this first ATP title at the Swiss Open. He didn’t bring a coach but there were plenty of people to celebrate his maiden title with including his dog Tango.

Dog lovers around the world were delighted to see a tennis player kiss a dog after the win. Even when Cachin was taking pictures with the trophy, Tango was there to tag along.

Speaking after his victor, Cachin said:

At the beginning of the match, I was a little nervous and made a few mistakes. It was the first time I had played against a lefty in the tournament but I stayed there

With the win, the Argentine star moves to his career-best ranking of world number 49. Cachin reached the fourth round at the 2023 Madrid Open, his best result in a Masters tournament.