LONDON, Jan 9: Britain's Greg Rusedski, who has admitted failing a drugs test, says more than 40 top tennis players have showed "elevated levels" of the banned performance-enhancing substance nandrolone.

The British number two said in a statement on Friday: "Drug-taking is not rife in tennis and something here is very wrong. "We now have over 47 samples (out of 120 top players tested) demonstrating elevated levels of nandrolone. The odds of this happening at random are billions to one against.

"Potentially nearly half of the (ATP) Tour could have demonstrated elevated levels of nandrolone.

"The only explanation the ATP has been able to find for this is that they themselves caused it. I am sure in my own mind that all the players concerned are innocent."

The ATP runs men's professional tennis. Canadian-born Rusedski, who tested positive for the steroid nandrolone at a tournament in July, denied taking performance-enhancing drugs and is convinced he will be cleared at a hearing in Montreal on Feb 9.

In July, the ATP said its trainers might have unwittingly given illegal substances to its players via electrolyte replacement products. It said these products might have been contaminated with nandrolone. As a result, the ATP lifted a two-year suspension on Czech player Bohdan Ulihrach for a nandrolone offence.

During the period between late August 2002 and mid-May 2003, another six samples registered nandrolone metabolites above the limit mandated by the International Olympic Committee, the ATP said.

Rusedski, born in Canada to a British mother, took British citizenship in 1995 and his matches with Tim Henman for the No 1 spot regenerated interest in British tennis. But he had a miserable 2003 when a succession of knee, foot and back injuries saw him slip to his lowest ranking since 1994 - 119 in the world. And at Wimbledon last summer, he was hit with a US$2,500 fine for a four-letter outburst that marred his second round defeat by Andy Roddick.

It has been a bad three months for British sport with Rusedski the third leading British sportsman to be branded a drugs cheat. Last October Dwain Chambers, Britain's 100 metres European athletics champion, tested positive for the designer steroid THG, and Manchester United's England soccer international Rio Ferdinand is about to begin an eight month ban for failing to take a drugs test.-AFP