SPANISH TENNIS STAR Rafael Nadal has won a defamation case against former French health and sports minister Roselyne Bachelot after she accused him of doping.
Bachelot was ordered to pay €12,000 in damages and legal fees to the serial Grand Slam winner by a court in Paris and handed a €500 fine over the allegation she made to the D8 television channel in March 2016.
The ex-minister alleged that Nadal had faked an injury in 2012, when he missed the final six months of the season due to knee problems, in order to hide a positive drug test.
The 31-year-old has never failed a drugs test and denies ever using banned substances.
He had sought €100,000 in damages and explained last year that he had decided to take legal action to set an example, having previously ignored allegations against him.
His lawyer, Patrick Maisonneuve, told the court in October that the doping accusation could have had “major consequences” for Nadal concerning his “existing or future sponsors”.
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