Jannik Sinner cleared of wrongdoing after failed drug tests, ITIA says
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Jannik Sinner of Italy returns a shot in the Cincinnati Open men’s singles final against Frances Tiafoe of the United States on Aug 19, 2024.
PHOTO: USA TODAY
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NEW YORK – World No. 1 Jannik Sinner failed two drug tests in March but has been cleared of wrongdoing by an independent tribunal, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said on Aug 20, days before the Italian is set to play at the US Open in New York.
The tribunal had accepted the Australian Open champion’s explanation that the anabolic agent clostebol entered his system from a member of his support team through massages and sports therapy.
Sinner said his physio, Giacomo Naldi, applied an over-the-counter spray containing clostebol to his own skin to treat a small finger wound and then administered massages between March 5 and 13 without using gloves, according to the ITIA.
Naldi was unaware that the product he had used contained clostebol, which is a steroid that can be used to build muscle mass.
Sinner’s first positive sample was taken on March 10 with a second eight days later. A provisional suspension was applied with each positive test but he was allowed to keep playing after his team filed urgent appeals.
“ITIA today confirms that an independent tribunal convened by Sport Resolutions has ruled that Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner bears no fault or negligence for two anti-doping rule violations under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme,” said the agency in a statement.
But while the 23-year-old Italian has been cleared of any wrongdoing,
The World Anti-Doping Agency said it would review the decision and reserved the right to appeal.
Sinner, who has always maintained his innocence, said that the amount of clostebol found in his system was less than a billionth of a gram.
“I will now put this challenging and deeply unfortunate period behind me,” he said in a statement on social media.
“I will continue to do everything I can to ensure I continue to comply with the ITIA’s anti-doping programme and I have a team around me that are meticulous in their own compliance.”
The men’s ATP Tour said the saga “underscores the need for players and their entourages to take utmost care in the use of products or treatments”.
“We are encouraged that no fault or negligence has been found on Jannik Sinner’s part,” it added.
“We would also like to acknowledge the robustness of the investigation process and independent evaluation of the facts under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme, which has allowed him to continue competing.”
Sinner is the latest tennis player to become embroiled in a doping case, after two-time Grand Slam winner Simona Halep had her four-year doping ban cut to nine months in 2024 after testing positive for a prohibited substance at the 2022 US Open.
The Romanian had argued that she had unwittingly ingested the blood-booster roxadustat through contaminated nutritional supplements.
As the world’s top-ranked player, Sinner had already expected the spotlight to fall on him when he arrives in New York for the year’s final Grand Slam that kicks off on Aug 26.
But the saga has invited an added layer of attention a day after he won a key US Open tune-up event in Cincinnati.
“It’s certainly surprising and shocking, at this moment, especially to me when it happened apparently in March,” seven-time Major winner and ESPN analyst John McEnroe said.
“I don’t know how they differentiate between one person, you know, sort of saying he was unaware of it and the reasons behind it and then someone else who says the same thing, you know, gets suspended.”
Other players on the tour have also reacted to the news with scepticism and anger, as Australia’s Nick Kyrgios lambasted the ruling on Sinner.
“Ridiculous – whether it was accidental or planned. You get tested twice with a banned substance... you should be gone for 2 years. Your performance was enhanced,” he said on X.
Canadian Denis Shapovalov wrote: “Can’t imagine what every other player that got banned for contaminated substances is feeling right now.” REUTERS, AFP
