Wickmayer considering appeal after doping ban

By Antonia van de Velde

ANTWERP, Belgium (Reuters) - Belgium's Yanina Wickmayer, a semi-finalist at this year's U.S. Open, is considering an appeal against a one-year ban for failing to comply with doping regulations.

"We are examining all different options...This news really hit home incredibly hard," the tennis player's spokesman Rudi Kuyl told a news conference.

The world number 18 was suspended by the Flemish Doping Tribunal after falling foul of the whereabouts rule, which states that players must notify their national doping agency where they can be reached on a daily basis.

An appeal is possible only at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland. However, Wickmayer's doctor Chris Goossens said that would be a slow and costly process.

Goossens said the suspension would stand during an appeal which meant Wickmayer would be out of competition for several months at least.

Kuyl said one of the options Wickmayer's lawyer was considering was to ask the CAS to suspend the ruling.

"They have never done this, but apparently they can do it," he said.

Wickmayer quit Bali's Tournament of Champions and left the resort island after receiving the ban.