Andre Agassi has defended tennis against allegations of drug use, saying talk of players taking performance-enhancing substances is "irresponsible".

One of the leading figures in world sport, Agassi echoed the International Tennis Federation's comments, saying it was pointless to talk about baseless allegations.

"I think the one thing that I'd like to stick to is what we do know. And what we do know is there's been a minimal amount of players that have been caught over the last 10 years," the American told reporters at the Australian Open.

"We are also probably the leading sport in reference to how often we test, how professional our tests are and how strict our penalties are. The talk of who might be (using drugs), who might not be, is irresponsible."

The issue of drug use has been prominent at the Australian Open this year. Earlier this week Australian Davis Cup player Andrew Ilie said that tennis authorities, who recently announced a doubling of the number of out-of-competition dope tests, were fighting a losing battle to catch drug cheats.

"They should just give free-for-all," Ilie told the Melbourne newspaper Herald Sun .

"The problem is so bad at the moment...you might as well just let them use it and when players see people dying out there and exploding, then it is going to change their mind.

"The sport has become so competitive and it has become so powerful and it is just a matter of fitness and who will outlast who out there," said Ilie.

"People are just happy to sacrifice their health for three years of fame."

President of Tennis Australia Geoff Pollard refuted Ilie's claim.

"The story is pure speculation," he said earlier this week.

"I don't know if you'd call (the allegations) strong, there is no evidence."

The Australian Open is the first tournament at which blood tests are being taken to check for the banned endurance booster erythropoietin (EPO).

The ATP, Women's Tennis Association and International Tennis Federation adopted International Olympic Committee standards from January 1, and a Swedish drug agency will take the blood tests.