Another twist in the Jannik Sinner case? This Saturday, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced that it had appealed in the doping case affecting the Italian tennis player. Testing positive twice for clostebol, a banned substance, last March, the recent winner of the US Open was cleared by the International Agency for Tennis Integrity (Itia).
In its press release, WADA “considers that the conclusion of absence of fault or negligence was not correct under the applicable rules”. Consequently, the body “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 ongoing before the Court of Arbitration for Sport, WADA will make no further comment at this stage,” the text specifies.
Two positive tests in the United States
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 Health. integrity of tennis (Itia) which accepted his defense and officially cleared him at the end of August. The player lost the ATP points and tournament winnings during which the positive test was recorded. But not the titles.
Before the US Open, Jannik Sinner had separated from his physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi, believed to have unintentionally contaminated him, and from his physical trainer, Umberto Ferrara, who had provided the incriminated spray. “I kept reminding myself that I really hadn’t done anything wrong,” the player defended himself before the US Open. I always respect the anti-doping rules and I will always respect them. »
