More details of Jannik Sinner’s positive drug test emerge as tennis world sits divided

Nick Kyrgios thought the better of continuing his tirade against World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, as controversy swirled over a banned substance.

Jannik Sinner’s coach has shone more of a spotlight on how the world No. 1 was able to avoid a suspension after testing positive twice for a banned substance earlier this year.

On Tuesday, both Sinner and the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced that an independent tribunal found Sinner bore “no fault or negligence” after his test samples contained low levels of the banned substance clostebol.

The amount in question was less than a billionth of a gram.

Experts concluded that the positive tests were a result of contamination from his physiotherapist. But there has naturally been some controversy over how Sinner avoided suspension during the investigation, especially when other tennis players in similar situations have historically been banned until their cases were resolved.

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Darren Cahill, who has been Sinner’s coach for two years and also works as an ESPN pundit, shed light on the case during a TV appearance where Chris McKendry asked whether Sinner’s status as the world No. 1 might have helped him avoid suspension.

The Australian coach explained that while cases are treated the same regardless of ranking, being a top player with more financial resources allows for a more robust legal defence.

The decision is now subject to appeal by both the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) and the Italian Anti-Doping Agency.

“The one thing I will say though, it makes it a little bit easier for someone that’s highly-ranked because you can afford to fight this case properly and fairly. Whereas I think a player ranked 300 or 500 or 1000 in the world, if they get into this situation, they don’t have the funds,” Cahill said.

Meanwhile Aussie firebrand Nick Kyrgios has been having a field day on social media at the expense of Sinner.

Jannik Sinner’s coach has shone more of a spotlight on how the world No. 1 was able to avoid a suspension.

Cahill shed light on the case during a TV appearance

The Aussie star, whose former girlfriend Anna Kalinskaya is now dating Sinner, posted a meme suggesting Richard Gasquet’s excuse for having trace amounts of cocaine in his system in 2009 was a more convincing case.

He posted an image comparing the varying excuses of four tennis stars that have tested positive to various drugs in recent years including Sinner.

In his post Kyrgios explained how Gasquet had the only excuse he believed, that he had unwittingly kissed someone who had taken cocaine.

Kyrgios also claimed it was “ridiculous” that the Italian had escaped a suspension.

“Ridiculous - whether it was accidental or planned. You get tested twice with a banned (steroid) substance… you should be gone for two years. Your performance was enhanced. Massage cream…. Yeah nice,” he wrote on X.

X has now placed a community fact-checking note under Kyrgios’ tweet.

“The report says there wasn’t any performance enhancing,” the fact-check read.

“Even if the administration had been intentional, the minute amounts likely to have been administered would not have had […] any relevant doping, or performance enhancing, effect upon the player.”

Italian fans have been lighting up Kyrgios over his strong opinions, with one saying “if he got suspended two years, he’d still play before you play again”.

“At least I’m clean you potato,” Kyrgios responded.

The Cincinnati Open also chose to delete a recent tweet made after the Italian won the event, which referenced “ice” in Sinner’s veins, a message that could potentially be taken the wrong way.

Kyrgios is being Kyrgios again on social media.

While coach Cahill wasn’t directly involved in the legal process, he explained how Sinner’s legal team had to gather experts to support their case, which required the deep pockets of a recent grand slam victor.

“I don’t know how much it’s cost him to put together his legal team and to get the experts. When they determined whether or not the story that we said and how this substance got into his system, the ITIA, they hired two of their own experts … and we had one of our experts as well. So three experts all said that it’s highly likely this story is correct,” Cahill said.

“The integrity of the way it was handled, the ranking doesn’t matter.”

The Cincinnati Open also deleted a tweet that could be taken the wrong way.

Sinner’s legal team argued that the contamination came through his physiotherapist, Giacomo Naldi, who used a clostebol-containing over-the-counter spray called Trofodermi.

The spray was purchased by Sinner’s fitness trainer, Umberto Ferrara, in Italy.

During the Indian Wells tournament, Naldi cut his finger on a scalpel and used the spray for a week while continuing to massage Sinner without gloves. Sinner, who often has small cuts and sores, was found to have been contaminated this way.

Three independent experts confirmed that this explanation was plausible.

The positive tests were not made public until Tuesday, after an independent tribunal was held the previous Thursday.

“There was a lot riding on the fact that if this thing got out without context, that was not great either and so everyone certainly made sure that only the people knew that had to know about this particular incident,” Cahill said.

Originally published as More details of Jannik Sinner’s positive drug test emerge as tennis world sits divided