During a particularly mischievous period of his life, many years ago, a 21-year-old Gaël Monfils returned home from a long night of partying at 5.45am and after a quick dash to the bathroom fell asleep. Minutes later he was woken up by a doping control officer at his front door: “I’m dying in my bed and somehow I hear the guy come. Barely. I’m dead and he’s coming,” says Monfils, laughing.
One of the requirements of being an elite player is providing your location for an hour each day as part of the anti-doping whereabouts system, which allows the anti-doping authorities to conduct unannounced out-of-competition doping tests. For years the Frenchman, like most other players, has assigned 6am as his usual hour, a time he is certain to be at home or in his hotel room.
