The case of Cilic highlights the question. How does a professional tennis player feed himself and take and required supplements without falling foul of doping violations?

The fact that Cilic instantly accepted his ban and worked openly with authorities helped his case but I had to wonder how a pro actually manages to travel the world often to lands they don’t speak the language and don’t know the law and standards of food preparation yet find a way to feed themselves and get their required nutrition.

Tim Henman made this much clearer by explaining that every tournament has a resident doctor. You go to them to get supplements. You don’t buy them over the counter. That makes a lot of sense. I expect it comes with its own problems but also clearly gives a recorded controlled method of delivery which can be used to protect the athlete if they do fail a test. I say this because it is still possible to test positive using these tested products. Thus the fact you can prove you followed protocol becomes critical.

What I want to do is learn a little more about the doping control approach and how the process of providing supplements actually works. Whether its practical enough.

I expected there to be a process a pro player could follow. Knowing there is is a start. Do you guys know more about the process itself. I’m intrigued to find out what is actually in place?