Jannik Sinner triumphs at the US Open dress rehearsal in Cincinnati at the weekend. The world number 1 in men's tennis is in top form. But now comes the doping hammer.
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- Jannik Sinner is the world number 1 in men's tennis.
- He triumphs at the US Open dress rehearsal in Cincinnati, underlining his ambitions.
- On Tuesday, the news spread that Sinner had tested positive twice for a banned anabolic steroid.
In the final in Cincinnati, Sinner beat the American Frances Tiafoe 7:6, 6:2, underlining his ambitions for the US Open starting on Monday. The 23-year-old won his first Grand Slam tournament at the Australian Open in January.
"It was a tough, tough week. I had a great run here. I'm very happy with the level I'm playing at - especially in the important moments," said Sinner, who was troubled by hip problems during the tournament.
On Tuesday it became known that Sinner had tested positive twice for a banned anabolic steroid. Sinner gave the positive doping samples during the hard court tournament in Indian Wells. Small amounts of a metabolite of Clostebol, a banned anabolic steroid, were detected in the Italian. This was announced by the International Tennis Integrity Authority (ITIA) on Tuesday.
These positive tests were not made public during the investigation. An independent tribunal has now concluded that there was no wrongdoing on the part of Sinner, the ITIA added. The doping finding was due to the fact that a coach had used a spray containing Clostebol to treat his own wound. This member of Sinner's staff had given him massages during this time, which explains the infection with the banned substance.
Sinner does not have to fear a ban, but the anti-doping rules require the South Tyrolean to forfeit the world ranking points he won and the prize money from the tournament in Indian Wells. Sinner explained in a statement that he will continue to do everything in his power to comply with the anti-doping regulations.
Despite the points deduction, the winner of the Australian Open 2024 continues to lead the world rankings. He has just won his third Masters 1000 tournament in Cincinnati and goes into the US Open next week as one of the favorites.
