Credit Rafael Nadal for exhibiting a certain amount of restraint in addressing Maria Sharapova's failed drug test.
The Spanish tennis star and former No. 1 player in the world acknowledged that the Russian made a "strange mistake," but instead used her incident as a means to talk about his own reputation amid scattered inferences that he used performance-enhancing drugs, according to BBC.com.
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The 29-year-old Nadal said he was "a little bit tired" of the rumors surrounding his drug use, commenting that "I am a completely clean guy," the BBC.com reported.
"I have never had the temptation of doing something wrong," the 14-time Grand Slam champion said. "I believe in the sport and the values of the sport.
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"It is an example for the kids and if I am doing something that goes against that, I will be lying to myself, not lying to my opponents."
The BBC.com chronicled some of the accusations against Nadal during his career.
"In 2011, former French Open champion Yannick Noah wrote a newspaper article saying Spanish sporting success was due to doping, the BBC.com reported.
"A year later, a satirical French TV show featured a life-size likeness of Nadal filling up his car's gas tank from his own bladder before being pulled over by traffic police for speeding.
"Then in 2013, Belgian former professional player Christophe Rochus questioned Nadal being able to dominate the 2012 French Open and then be injured two weeks later at Wimbledon."
Nadal, who has been injury-prone during the latter stages of his career, admits to using new-age techniques such as stem-cell therapy and Platelet Rich Plasma therapy to help him recover.
While Sharapova said her family doctor prescribed meldonium for 10 years, Nadal said he trusts his personal doctor to monitor any medication he takes.
"He has been the doctor for all the Spanish players for a number of years," he said. "I would never take nothing that he doesn't know about."
As for Sharapova, Nadal has given to give her the benefit of the doubt but added that her mistake deserves punishment.
"It is difficult to imagine that something like this can happen, but mistakes happen," he said. "She should be punished.
"I want to believe it is a mistake for Maria. She didn't want to do it. But obviously it is negligence. She must pay for it."
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