World No 1 Sinner cleared by ITIA after failed drug tests

World number one Jannik Sinner has been cleared of wrongdoing by an independent tribunal after failing two drug tests in March, the International Tennis Integrity Authority (ITIA) said yesterday.
The tribunal convened by Sport Resolutions accepted the Italian’s explanation that the anabolic agent clostebol entered his system from a member of his support team through massages and sports therapy, the ITIA said in a statement.
It added that Sinner bears no fault or negligence after his physio Giocomo Naldi applied an over-the-counter spray containing clostebol to his own skin to treat a small finger wound caused by a scalpel used to treat foot calluses.
According to the evidence, Naldo then administered massages to Sinner between March 5-13 without using gloves, unaware that the product he had used on his cut contained clostebol.
Sinner’s first positive sample was taken on March 10 with a second eight days later.
Provisional suspensions are normally applied in such circumstances under the WADA code, but Sinner was allowed to continue playing after his team filed urgent appeals stating that he had been the victim of contamination.
The ITIA, following consultation with scientific experts, agreed that Sinner’s explanation was credible and lifted the provisional suspension ahead of its investigation.
“After each positive test, a provisional suspension was applied. On both occasions, Sinner successfully appealed the provisional suspension and so has been able to continue playing,” ITIA said in a statement.
“However, in line with the WADC (World Anti-Doping Code) and TADP (Tennis Anti-Doping Programme), Sinner’s results, prize money and ranking points from the ATP Masters 1000 event at Indian Wells, where the player tested positive in competition for clostebol, are disqualified. “
The decision is subject to appeal by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the Italian Anti-Doping Agency.
“As we do with all cases, we will review this decision carefully and we reserve the right to take an appeal to CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport), as appropriate,” WADA said in a statement.
Sinner said the independent tribunal had cleared him after he fully cooperated in the ITIA’s investigation.
The 23-year-old said in a statement the amount of clostebol found in his system was less than a billionth of a gram.
Clostebol is a steroid that can be used to build muscle mass.
“I will now put this challenging and deeply unfortunate period behind me,” Sinner said on X.
“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.”
Responding to the decision, the men’s ATP Tour noted the verdict, saying “integrity is paramount” in sport.
“This has been a challenging matter for Jannik and his team, and underscores the need for players and their entourages to take utmost care in the use of products or treatments’” it said.
Sinner is the latest high-profile tennis player to become embroiled in a doping case.
Former Wimbledon champion Simona Halep was cleared to return to competition earlier this year after appealing to sport’s highest court CAS against a four-year ban after testing positive for prohibited blood-booster roxadustat at the 2022 US Open.
Halep argued she had unwittingly ingested the substance through contaminated nutritional supplements.
Australian player Nick Kyrgios lambasted the Sinner ruling.
“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,” Kyrgios said on X.
Australian Open champion Sinner will play in the US Open later this month, with the main draw starting on Aug 26.
On Monday, Sinner beat Frances Tiafoe 7-6(4) 6-2 at the Cincinnati Open final, showing that despite recent health struggles he will still be the man to beat at the upcoming US Open in New York.
The 23-year-old, who has been struggling over the last couple months with a hip issue and who missed the Paris Olympics due to tonsillitis, was error-prone to start the contest and came up limping after several points in the tight first set.
But he found his game in the tiebreak, absorbing the American’s powerful serve on set point. Tiafoe’s next shot sailed long as the Italian grabbed the opener.
Tiafoe, who has struggled to find momentum and wins this season, could not take advantage of his three break point opportunities in the first set and fell into a 2-0 hole to start the second from which he was never able to recover.
Sinner rifled a forehand winner up the line for a 4-1 lead in the second and completed the win with an unreturnable serve on match point. Sinner’s triumph at the Masters 1000 event follows his Grand Slam breakthrough at the Australian Open in January and is his fifth title of the year and first at the tournament in Ohio.
Tiafoe will rise to world number 20 and will take confidence into the US Open after his gutsy three-set win over Dane Holger Rune in Sunday’s semi-final.