SWEDEN'S Mats Wilander and Czech Karel Novacek have warned they would be taking legal action against the International Tennis Federation (ITF) in both the United States and Britain over allegations of drug abuse.

In a statement signed by their American lawyers, the players accused the London-based ITF of smearing them by leaking "false" information which purported to show they tested positive for cocaine at the French Open last year.

The test results were first reported last Sunday in the News of the World, but had been kept quiet while the players appealed.

"There is a scandal here. But it is not about drug abuse. Instead, it is a scandal about ITF smearing two top athletes just as the accusations against them were about to be unveiled as false," the players' statement said.

The players claimed that the ITF had informed them about the positive tests, but had not given them a fair chance to defend themselves.

They alleged that the ITF had refused to provide them with the evidence on which the charges were based.

Deborah Jevans, the ITF's general secretary, has declined to comment.