The Serbian tennis player Viktor Troicki has been banned for 18 months for a violation of the tennis anti-doping programme, the International Tennis Federation has announced.
Troicki, 27, failed to provide a blood sample when requested during in-competition testing at the Monte Carlo Masters on 15 April.
Troicki said he had asked permission to be excused the blood test due to feeling unwell but that explanation was rejected by the governing body.
His suspension begins immediately and will end on 24 January 2015. Troicki must also forfeit all prize money and ranking points earned at the Monte Carlo Masters.
An ITF statement read: "Viktor Troicki has been found to have committed an anti-doping rule violation under article 2.3 of the tennis anti-doping programme (refusing or failing without compelling justification to submit to sample collection).
"Mr Troicki, a 27-year-old player from Serbia, was notified on 15 April 2013 that he had been selected to provide a urine sample and a blood sample in association with his participation at the Rolex Monte Carlo Masters event.
"Mr Troicki provided a urine sample but did not provide a blood sample.
"He asserted to an independent tribunal that he was assured by the doping control officer (DCO) that it would be acceptable not to provide a sample on account of him feeling unwell that day. However, the tribunal concluded that the DCO told Mr Troicki that she could not advise him as to whether his reason for not providing a blood sample was valid, and that no such assurances were given by her.
"Accordingly the tribunal determined that Mr Troicki's actions constituted a failure and a refusal to provide a blood sample, and that his explanation for not doing so did not constitute compelling justification under article 2.3.
"However, the tribunal accepted that the stress that Mr Troicki was under at the time entitled him to mitigation under article 10.5.2."
Troicki has the right to appeal against the ruling to the Court of Arbitration of Sport, according to the ITF.
Troicki, ranked 53 in the world, was in action hours before the ITF announcement, losing 6-0, 6-4 to Spain's Tommy Robredo in the second round of the Croatia Open in Umag.
The powerful right-hander from Belgrade is a one-time winner on the ATP Tour, in Moscow's Kremlin Cup in 2010, and was a key part of Serbia's victorious Davis Cup team in the same year, winning the fifth and decisive rubber over France's Michaël Llodra.
He has not reached an ATP final since October 2011, when he lost in Moscow against Janko Tipsarevic.
Troicki becomes the fifth professional to serve a doping suspension in 2013 after Filippo Calorosi, Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, Dimitar Kutrovsky and Fernando Romboli.
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