LONDON -- Indian tennis player Parikshit Somani was banned for four years in a doping case Wednesday after judges dismissed an explanation he gave that was similar to the case of Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva.
The 26-year-old Somani, whose career ranking peaked at No. 256 in doubles, tested positive for trimetazidine at a lower-tier event last year in Astana, Kazakhstan.
The banned heart medication is the same substance used in the high-profile cases of Valieva -- which flared at the 2022 Beijing Olympics -- and Chinese star swimmer Sun Yang in 2014.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency said an independent tribunal banned Somani until September 2029.
The ITIA said Somani explained the positive test as contamination by food prepared by a family member whose medicine got into what he ate. That was a similar explanation given by lawyers for Valieva, who also was banned for four years.
At a hearing in August, Somani's defense did not prove the source of the alleged contamination, the ITIA said in a statement.
The tribunal judges "concluded that the food contamination theories were 'scientifically implausible,' 'highly speculative,' and 'unconvincing,'" the agency said.
During his suspension, Somani cannot play in, coach at, or attend any events organized by World Tennis, the WTA and ATP, the Grand Slams or any national federation.