Jarry about doping ban and his monstrous comeback: “The family has strengthened me in the darkest hours”

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The short walk from the cathedral, along the Basel Palatinate, to the Fähribödeli and the small jetty takes longer than usual. Nicolas Jarry (28) always has to jump after his son Juan. The one and a half year old keeps everyone on their toes, Jarry’s mother Cecilia also keeps an eye on things – and of course his wife Laura, who also carries a newborn baby in her arms. Little Santiago. Jarry laughs and seems to forget everything around him as he jokes with his family.

This lightness had temporarily disappeared in recent years. The lanky 1.98 meter tall serving giant from Chile was taken out of circulation at the beginning of 2020 due to a positive doping test. At the 2019 Davis Cup final in Madrid, minimal amounts of the banned substances Ligandrol and Stanozolol were found in the then world number 77.

Jarry claimed he never knowingly or intentionally used blacklisted drugs. He hired a team of lawyers to make his case. A few months later he announced that he would accept the eleven-month ban so as not to lose any more time in his career due to further hearings. And he also announced: “I am pleased and with a clear conscience to inform you that we have succeeded in proving that the banned substances came from a Brazilian laboratory, where my multivitamins came from and were contaminated.”

“Deep pain”

But the damage was still done. This did not make the positive sample negative. Jarry said he has learned to be even more careful about where his diet comes from. The World Tennis Association subsequently warned that such a contamination could happen, especially in South America, and that players needed to be even more careful. Nevertheless, Jarry’s case was met with incomprehension by some professionals. Dominic Thiem, for example, stated that he was “100 percent certain” that Jarry had no intentions behind it. ‘It’s ridiculous what is being done to us players. This is an absolute mockery of how careful we need to be.” For the Austrian it was “an error in the system”.

Looking back, Jarry speaks of a ‘deep pain’ that characterized that time. He is grateful for the support he received from Thiem and Co., his compatriots in Chile and especially his family: “They strengthened me in the darkest hours.”

“My environment is a blessing”

His wife Laura in particular was at his side at the time. The couple married that same year and shortly afterwards she became pregnant with “Juanito”. Baby Santiago finally followed two months ago. Jarry says: “My environment is a blessing. They all gave me the strength I needed to get through it.”

The family travels together all year round. From Australia to the US, via Europe to Asia and back again – to Basel. Here the man who was 156th in the ATP rankings in January starts as number 20 in the world. After an incredibly strong season, with titles in Santiago (Chile) and Geneva, he is one of the secret favorites at the Swiss Indoors (Tuesday 1st round against Adrian Mannarino). Jarry says: “It’s going pretty well. But I don’t put any pressure on myself. After everything that has happened, I am happy to be here and have my loved ones by my side.”

Source : Blick