French tennis star Richard Gasquet confirms positive test for cocaine, professes innocence

July 7th, 2009 French tennis player banned for betting found deadPARIS — French tennis player Mathieu Montcourt, who was recently banned for betting on matches, has died. He was 24. The French tennis federation said Tuesday that Montcourt died overnight but the cause of death is not yet known, and an autopsy will be conducted.

July 7th, 2009 PARIS — French tennis player Mathieu Montcourt, who was recently banned for betting on matches, has died. He was 24. The French tennis federation said Tuesday that Montcourt died overnight but "the causes of his death are not yet known." French media reported the 119th-ranked Montcourt was found dead by his girlfriend in the stairwell of his Paris apartment.

May 16th, 2009 LONDON - Former England cricketer Chris Lewis told a court yesterday he was shocked when Customs officers told him he had cocaine in his bag. Lewis, 41, and pal Chad Kirnon, 27, a professional basketball player, were stopped at Gatwick airport when they returned from St Lucia last December.

May 14th, 2009 CAS cuts Montcourt's ban for betting on matchesLAUSANNE, Switzerland — French tennis player Mathieu Montcourt's suspension for betting on matches has been reduced from eight to five weeks. The Court of Arbitration for Sport said Thursday the 24-year-old Montcourt bet a total of $192 on 36 different tennis events, though not on his own matches or at tournaments where he was playing.

May 13th, 2009 Tour bans Tom Boonen after positive cocaine testPARIS — Race organizers say Belgian cycling star Tom Boonen will not be welcome at this year's Tour de France after his latest positive drug test. The 28-year-old former world champion tested positive for cocaine last month for the second time in less than a year.

May 11th, 2009 Boonen fined, not fired over cocaine abuseBRUSSELS — Former world cycling champion Tom Boonen drew a heavy fine from his team on top of his indefinite suspension after testing positive for cocaine a second time. His actions could keep him from the Tour de France.

May 11th, 2009 Gasquet suspended after positive cocaine testLONDON — French tennis player Richard Gasquet was suspended Monday following a positive cocaine test and will miss the French Open. The International Tennis Federation expects to have a panel in place within 60 days for a hearing.

May 11th, 2009 PARIS - French tennis player Richard Gasquet admitted he tested positive for cocaine in a drug test held in a tournament in Key Biscayne, Florida, in March. Gasquet, World No.

May 10th, 2009 Gasquet confirms test came back positive for cokePARIS — French tennis player Richard Gasquet has acknowledged he's been told he tested positive for cocaine but says he's innocent. "I am gathering together proof of my innocence and I will choose an appropriate moment to express myself," Gasquet said in a statement Sunday.

May 9th, 2009 BRUSSELS - Former cycling world champion Tom Boonen has been suspended by his Quick Step team and faces a criminal investigation after again testing positive for cocaine, Belgian news reports said Saturday. The reports said that Boonen tested positive at an out-of-competition test in late April, around two weeks after April 12 winning the Paris-Roubaix Classic for the third time in his career.

May 4th, 2009 LONDON - The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) last night confirmed British tennis star Andy Murray as the world's third best player in the sport. By overtaking Novak Djokovic, the 21-year-old Scot will become the highest-ranked British man since the rankings were introduced 36 years ago, overtaking Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski, who both reached No 4, The Independent reports.

May 1st, 2009 LONDON - British tennis star Andy Murray has admitted that he has weaknesses on clay, and does not know how to fix it. The world No 4 crashed out to Argentine Juan Monaco in round two of the Rome Masters, reports The Sun.

April 29th, 2009 Italian player Baldo gets ban for cocaine useBERN, Switzerland — Italian soccer player Luca Baldo has been banned from playing in Switzerland for two years after testing positive for cocaine. Switzerland's Olympic committee said Wednesday the 26-year-old midfielder failed a drug test after playing for Lugano against St.

April 22nd, 2009 Gaudio wins in first round at BarcelonaBARCELONA, Spain — Former French Open champion Gaston Gaudio won his first match in nearly two years by Argentine countryman Diego Junqueira 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 at the Barcelona Open on Tuesday. Gaudio, the Barcelona winner seven years ago, converted six of his seven break opportunities and rallied from a break down in the final set for his first victory at ATP level since the 2007 French Open, a span of 23 months.

January 9th, 2009 BRISBANE - France fell to a double disaster Saturday on the men's side of the Brisbane International tennis tournament, with both Paul-Henri Mathieu and Richard Gasquet crashing out at the semi-final stage. Third seed Fernando Verdasco, hero of Spain's Davis Cup final over Argentina in November, dispatched Mathieu 6-2, 6-1, while notoriously irritating Czech Radek Stepanek wore down seventh seed Gasquet 2-6, 6-2, 6-4.