Richard Gasquet cleared of drug charges

Richard Gasquet has been cleared of any wrongdoing by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) over his doping charge.

The Frenchman, 23, tested positive for cocaine in March and was handed a provisional 12-month ban by the International Tennis Federation (ITF).

An ITF panel subsequently cleared him in July, accepting the substance got into his system after kissing a woman.

And Cas rejected an appeal against the decision to overturn the ban from the ITF and the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Cas said: "The panel decided to dismiss the appeals after having found that in this particular case Richard Gasquet had not committed any fault or negligence within the meaning of the ITF Anti-Doping Programme."

The ITF and Wada wanted the world number 47 to be banned for up to two years.

Gasquet has previously said that the drug got into his system after he kissed the woman in a nightclub in Miami.

An ITF tribunal supported his claim and felt that because "no more than a grain of salt" was recorded in the sample a long ban would have been an injustice.

"It's a huge relief, especially for Richard and his team," said Gasquet's coach Eric Deblicker.

"He has been cleared, he's been back at work five weeks and every day was difficult. Mentally it's been tough, but the most important thing has been seeing his joy on the court."

ITF president Francesco Ricci Bitti admitted that the federation was "disappointed" with the verdict, but could not take the issue any further.

"Cas is the ultimate arbiter of such appeals and so the ITF must respect and abide by its decision," he said.

"The ITF also recognises the potential implications of the Cas decision with respect to future decisions and will discuss these with Wada."

Deblicker expects Gasquet to start the 2010 season with warm-up tournaments in Brisbane and Sydney ahead of the Australian Open on 18 January.

The former world number seven tested positive following a urine sample at the Sony Ericsson Open in Florida in March, after he withdrew from the tournament because of a shoulder injury.