Top men’s tennis player Jannik Sinner has successfully escaped a doping ban by demonstrating through his physical therapist that the cause of his two failed anti-doping tests in March was contamination.
Even though Sinner tested positive twice for residues of the illegal drug clostebol, an independent tribunal last week found that Sinner was neither at blame nor irresponsible. The concentrations of clostebol, an anabolic androgenic steroid (AAS) identified in Sinner’s tests (121 and 122 picograms per milliliter, or pg/ml), were less than a billionth of a gram. Clostebol is manufactured from testosterone. Lots of Italian sportsmen have tested positive for clostebol in the past few years because the drug is found in over-the-counter medications in Italy.
Sinner declared, “I now wish to move past this difficult and tragic time. In addition to having a team around me that is thorough in their compliance, I will keep doing everything in my power to make sure I abide by the ITIA’s anti-doping policy.
The case was brought before an impartial tribunal on August 15, following Sinner’s positive test. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), which is in charge of monitoring doping and corruption in tennis, conferred with experts in science.
Umberto Ferrara, Sinner’s fitness trainer, purchased Trofodermin, an over-the-counter spray meant to treat cuts, which Sinner claimed as support for his accusation. Giacomo Naldi, Sinner’s physiotherapist, cut his finger on March 3 while vacationing at a property in Indian Wells before the Masters 1000 competition.
Beginning on March 5 and continuing every morning until March 13, Naldi removed the bandage and put Ferrara’s Trofodermin to the cut. Sinner’s feet were bandaged and Naldi proceeded to massage his entire body during this time. Sinner has psoriasiform dermatitis on his back and feet, a skin ailment that causes itching and can result in minor wounds and blisters from scratching. According to Sinner and his group, Naldi’s treatment—which did not involve the use of gloves—contaminated him. This hypothesis accounted for the presence of clostebol metabolites, according to three specialists in science.
Sinner made the significant assertion that he was not aware that Naldi was using Trofodermin or that Ferrara had it. The independent tribunal found that the player had no reason to suspect Trofodermin was around or that his treatment with Naldi posed an anti-doping danger. The ITIA accepted Sinner’s arguments based on the balance of probabilities.
“After conducting that investigation, the ITIA accepted the player’s explanation regarding the source of the clostebol and that the substance’s presence was not intentional,” stated Karen Moorhouse, CEO of the ITIA. Additionally, the tribunal agreed with this. We express our gratitude to the impartial panel for its prompt and lucid determination of the player’s level of responsibility.”
We are happy that Jannik Sinner was not judged to have committed any errors or shown negligence,” the ATP said. The Tennis Anti-Doping Program (TADP) has permitted Sinner to continue participating, and we would also like to recognize the strength of the inquiry process and the accurate independent appraisal of the facts. It is important for sportsmen and their teams to employ products and treatments with considerable prudence, as Sinner and his team have found out through this difficult situation. In our sport, integrity is most important.”
The public was not previously informed of Sinner’s positive anti-doping test results. A clostebol metabolite was discovered in an out-of-competition test on March 18, just before Sinner won the Miami Open, following the first positive test that happened in competition on March 10 at Indian Wells. Both his 400-point performance and the $325,000 (£250,000) in prize money from his Indian Wells quarterfinal have been disqualified.
If an athlete proves during a hearing that the anti-doping rule violation was most likely caused by a contaminated product or a substance of abuse, the automatic mandatory provisional suspension that follows the athlete’s notification of the infraction may be challenged and withdrawn.
After winning the Miami Open, Sinner was temporarily suspended from April 4 to April 5; he was then suspended again from April 17 to April 20 immediately before the Madrid Open. Sinner successfully appealed on both occasions, resulting in the temporary suspension being shortened. Amid a hectic ATP schedule during the clay-court season, these brief provisional suspensions took place during off-weeks.
Claiming to “can’t imagine what every other player that got banned for contaminated substances is feeling right now,” Denis Shapovalov expressed his disapproval of Sinner’s results.
After securing his maiden Grand Slam victory at the Australian Open and quickly climbing to the top of the world rankings, Sinner has proceeded with his regular ATP Tour competitions. With a record of 48-5 this year, Sinner leads the circuit. He earned his second Masters 1000 championship on Monday at the Cincinnati Open.
