Richard Gasquet, speaking to French television as day after being cleared by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, says he is eager to put his positive test for cocaine behind him.
"I can turn the page," said Gasquet. "I've been waiting for this appeal for four months. Even at the U.S. Open, this was on my mind and now I can return to training with a clear head.
The Frenchman received a reduced 2 1/2 month ban from an independent tribunal this summer after tracing the source of the cocaine to kissing a woman at a nightclub the previous evening. The theory was supported by the test results, which showed a very small amount of cocaine metabolites as well as a trace amount of unmetabolized cocaine, indicating that the bannd substance had entered his system only a short time before. His explanation was also accepted by CAS, which dismissed the ITF's appeal for a stricter penalty.
"It's been very tough. I was positive in my head from the beginning because I knew that things should be okay. I've always told the truth," said Gasquet. "The aim is to return as quickly as possible to the top 20, then top 15... and above all, I want to play Roland Garros and have a great tournament. I've missed it for the past two years [knee injury, suspension]. This year was terrible because I couldn't even get into the grounds."
Gasquet says he will train with current coach Eric Deblicker for the rest of the offseason and then look for another coach early next year.
Pamela -- the woman cited as the source of the cocaine -- told RMC Sport she was "happy" with the result "because his error didn't merit a significant sanction." During the summer, she filed a defamantion suit against Gasquet over his account of the incident.
Susbsequent hair sample tests, submitted during the CAS hearing, indicated that Pamela had been a regular cocaine user while Gasquet's showed a negative result.