The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced on Saturday that it had appealed the case of world number one tennis player Jannik Sinner, cleared by the International Agency for Tennis Integrity (Itia) after having tested positive twice to clostebol, a banned substance, in March.
In its press release, the body “considers that the conclusion of absence of fault or negligence was not correct under the applicable rules” and, consequently, “WADA requests a suspension period of one to two years” for the Italian player, without these results since his positive tests, including his victory at the US Open, being canceled.
“As this matter is pending before the CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport), WADA will not make any further comment at this stage”specifies the text.
The Montreal-based agency indicated on September 10 that it had not yet decided whether or not it was going to appeal the non-suspension of the world No.1 in the ATP rankings, the file being “still under study”. Jannik Sinner suffered two positive doping tests in March 2024 eight days apart: on March 10 during the Indian Wells tournament and on March 18 out of competition, but just before the Miami tournament. Trace amounts of clostebol (anabolic) were found in his urine.
The Italian defended himself by explaining that he had suffered “contamination by a member of his staff, who had applied an over-the-counter spray containing clostebol to his own hand to treat a small injury”according to the International Agency for Tennis Integrity (Itia) which accepted his defense and officially cleared him at the end of August. The player, who won the first Grand Slam tournament of his career in January in Melbourne, lost the ATP points and the winnings of the tournament during which the positive test was recorded.
Three weeks ago, Sinner became the first world No.1 to win at Flushing Meadows among men since Rafael Nadal in 2017, and the first Italian to lift the trophy in New York. Itia’s decision to whitewash the Italian sparked outraged reactions from certain players, including the Australian Nick Kyrgios and the Frenchman Lucas Pouille.
Before the US Open, Sinner had separated from his physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi, believed to have unintentionally contaminated him, and from his physical trainer, Umberto Ferrara, who had provided Naldi with the incriminated spray.
Jannik Sinner atp
