Jannik Sinner escapes a doping ban despite testing positive twice for a banned steroid in March. The acquittal of the world number one is not met with understanding everywhere. But the last word has not yet been spoken anyway.
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- In January, Jannik Sinner won his first Grand Slam title in Melbourne, and in June he rose to world number 1 for the first time.
- On Tuesday, it became public that the tennis star had tested positive twice for a banned steroid in March.
- As Sinner was able to prove that he was not at fault and that there was no intent, he was not suspended.
- The acquittal of the world number one is not met with understanding everywhere.
- As always, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) wants to take a close look at the decision of the responsible tennis agency. What happens then remains to be seen.
Jannik Sinner can look back on an exciting year in tennis. In January, the 23-year-old won a Grand Slam tournament for the first time at the Australian Open, and in June he became the first Italian ever to climb to the top of the ATP world rankings.
The South Tyrolean has quickly established himself as one of the most outstanding players of his generation. In his career to date, he has largely been spared any major controversies until it was revealed on Tuesday that he was involved in a doping case.
During the Masters 1000 tournament in Indian Wells in March, Sinner tested positive twice for a banned anabolic steroid. To protect the athlete, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) only announced the controversial case after the investigations had been completed. The world number 1 tested positive for small amounts of the banned substance Clostebol.
Exonerated in court and still punished
As Sinner was able to prove that he was not at fault and that there was no intent, he was not suspended. According to a statement by the tennis star, the contamination with Clostebol was caused by treatment by his physiotherapist, who used an over-the-counter healing spray to treat his own wound. An independent court came to the conclusion that Sinner was not guilty of any misconduct.
However, Sinner did not get off completely scot-free in the matter. He will be stripped of his ATP points and prize money for the tournament in Indian Wells. According to the well-informed tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg, Sinner will lose 400 ranking points and around 300,000 euros as a result.
However, the matter is not yet off the table: the World Anti-Doping Agency wants to "carefully examine" the decision in the case of the world number one. This was announced by Wada at the request of the German Press Agency. Wada, which is based in Montréal, Canada, explained that it reserves the right to appeal to the International Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne if necessary.
Kyrgios rages: "Ridiculous"
The fact that Sinner was not banned despite the positive doping finding does not go down well everywhere. Australian tennis bully Nick Kyrgios wrote on X (formerly Twitter): "Ridiculous - whether it was accidental or planned." He continued: "He's tested twice for a banned substance. He should be banned for two years."
The former world number 13 brushed aside the objection from one user that the small amount of the substance detected in Sinner's body was allegedly not enough to improve his performance: "Then why did they take away his prize money and points from Indian Wells? Did he do something wrong or not? After all, they said he tested positive twice."
Canadian Denis Shapovalov was also critical on X: "Different players, different rules," said the former top ten player. "I can hardly imagine how other players who have been banned for contaminated substances feel now."
The case of Norwegian Olympic cross-country skiing champion Therese Johaug caused a major stir in 2016. At the time, the national ski association declared that the substance Clostebol was contained in a lip cream that the team doctor had bought for Johaug. After the positive result, the dominator was banned for 18 months.
Coach defends Sinner
Tennis coach Darren Cahill has defended his protégé Jannik Sinner after two positive doping tests came to light and ruled out any intent. "He would never do anything on purpose. He was in an unfortunate situation," said Cahill in an interview with US broadcaster ESPN. "The truth is out, no fault or negligence, and hopefully he can put that behind him."
According to Cahill, the incident would have "worn Sinner down physically and mentally, he got tonsillitis and missed the Olympics," the 58-year-old Canadian said. "We're not looking for grief. We're just thankful there's no suspension."
ATP urges caution
The ATP also commented on the case. In a statement, it announced that it was pleased that Sinner had not been found guilty or negligent: "This was a difficult matter for Jannik and his team and underlines the need for players and those around them to exercise extreme caution when using products or treatments. Integrity is the be-all and end-all in our sport."
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