Wayne Odesnik Returns to USTA Circut Next Week

Unranked tennis player Wayne Odesnik is set to return to the U.S. Tennis Association next week. This news comes after Odesnik was given a one-year ban for pleading guilty to attempting to import eight vials of human growth hormone into Australia last year during the 2010 Australian Open.

The announcement came from the USTA who says thatOdesnik has signed on to play in the $10,000 Plantation Open in Plantation, Florida. The American earned a wild-card entry for the clay court USTA Pro Circuit event on Wednesday by defeating No. 563 Olivier Sajous of Haiti, 6-3, 6-3, at Plantation Central Park to book a berth in the tournament.

“I definitely feel very humbled by the whole experience,''Odesnik told the Miami Herald. "I have a whole different outlook on tennis and life. I appreciate the opportunity to be a professional athlete and make a living doing something I truly love.

"I feel like I found my love for the game again. I missed it so much during the time I was out…It's going to be a long road back, but I'll take each day as it comes and appreciate the whole process."

Ranked as the No. 77 player in the world last April, Odesnik was suspended by the International Tennis Federation in May. This initial ruling was overturned on Dec. 29, 2009 when the 25-year-complied with the ITF's anti-doping program, causing the association to reduce its original two-year ban to one year. Odesnik denied using HGH and never tested positive for the banned substance.

Odesnik is currently coached by former Argentine player Guillermo Canas, who was also suspended in 2005 for taking a banned diuretic.

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