Agassi rejects drug claims

Ilie was a second round loser in Melbourne

World number two Andre Agassi has rejected claims by Australia's Andrew Ilie that illegal drug use is rife in professional tennis.

Ilie, who was knocked out of the Australian Open on Tuesday, said the problem of drug-taking in the sport had reached dangerous levels.

He said he had never used or been offered performance-enhancing drugs, but others felt the pressure to perform.

"The problem is so bad that you might as well just let them use it and when players see people dying on court and exploding, then it's going to change their minds," Ilie told the Herald Sun newspaper.

The talk of who might or might not be taking drugs is irresponsible

Andre Agassi

"The sport has become so competitive and powerful it is just a matter of fitness and who will outlast who out there," he said.

"People are just happy to sacrifice their health for three years of fame."

Ilie's claims cut little ice with Agassi, a strong supporter of drug testing.

"The one thing that I'd like to stick to is what we do know," said Agassi after his victory over South Korean Lee Hyung-Taik.

"What we know is, while there's been a minimal amount of players caught over the last 10 years, we are probably the leading sport in reference to how often we test, how professional our tests are and how strict our penalties are.

"The talk of who might be or might not be taking drugs is irresponsible," said Agassi.

Random drug blood testing has been introduced at the Australian Open but less than ten positive drug tests have been recorded by the International Tennis Federation over the past seven years.