Parikshit Somani has been suspended for four years after testing positive for trimetazidine at an ATP Challenger event in Astana in 2025
The tribunal rejected his food-contamination explanation, calling the theory scientifically implausible and unconvincing
His suspension runs until September 22, 2029, with his provisional suspension period already credited
Indian tennis player Parikshit Somani has been handed a four-year suspension after an independent tribunal found that he failed to establish how a banned substance entered his system.
The 26-year-old will remain ineligible until September 22, 2029, with the period he has already spent under provisional suspension counted towards his sanction. Somani was provisionally suspended on September 23, 2025.
The case stems from a doping sample collected from Somani at an ATP Challenger tournament in Astana, Kazakhstan, on July 31, 2025. The sample returned an adverse finding for trimetazidine, a prohibited substance.
Somani subsequently sought to explain the positive test by pointing to possible food contamination. In February 2026, he told the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) that he had eaten food prepared by a family member and alleged that the food could have been contaminated by the family member's medication during preparation.
That explanation was examined at a hearing before an independent tribunal on August 19, 2026. Both Somani and the ITIA presented expert scientific evidence as part of the proceedings.
The tribunal ultimately rejected Somani's explanation, with the ITIA stating that the proposed contamination scenarios were found to be "scientifically implausible", "highly speculative", and "unconvincing".
It also determined that Somani had not established the source of the trimetazidine detected in his sample. The tribunal therefore found that there were no mitigating circumstances that would warrant a reduction of the sanction.
As part of the suspension, Somani cannot compete in or attend events organised or sanctioned by World Tennis, the ATP, WTA, the Grand Slam tournaments, or any national tennis association. He is also prohibited from coaching at such events while the ban is in force.
Somani reached a career-high doubles ranking of 256 in July 2023. His four-year suspension follows the conclusion of the disciplinary proceedings over his 2025 positive test.
