Tennis (Representational Photo)

The International Tennis Integrity Agency has suspended former national champion Dalwinder Singh for two years after he tested positive for morphine use.Singh, who achieved his highest world singles ranking of 791 in April 2017, was found positive for morphine during an ITF World Tennis Tour event in Chandigarh in March 2025.“During the period of ineligibility, Singh is prohibited from playing in, coaching at, or attending any tennis event authorised or sanctioned by the members of the ITIA (ATP, ITF, WTA, Tennis Australia, Fédération Française de Tennis, Wimbledon and USTA) or any national association,” ITIA said in a release.Morphine is banned under TADP’s Narcotics category, specifically section S7 of the 2025 World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List. As a Specified substance, no mandatory provisional suspension was required, allowing the 29-year-old Singh to compete during the investigation.In communication with ITIA, Singh admitted to the Anti-Doping Rule Violation, claiming the morphine came from pain medication taken on the test day.
Singh explained the medication was prescribed following wrist surgery approximately 12 months earlier.The player couldn’t provide supporting evidence such as packaging, receipts, prescriptions, or the product name to verify his explanation.While ITIA lacked evidence to prove intentional violation, Singh’s inability to establish the source of the positive test meant no mitigating factors could reduce his fault level.Following TADP rules and precedent, a two-year suspension was accepted by Singh, starting from October 22, 2025. The suspension will conclude on October 21, 2027.Singh must forfeit all results, prize money, and ranking points from the event where he tested positive.The ITIA operates independently and was established by tennis governing bodies to protect the integrity of professional tennis events.