‘Ridiculous’: Tennis stars outraged by Jannik Sinner drugs secret
Tennis stars including Nick Kyrgios have shared their outrage after learning of a drugs secret involving world number one Jannik Sinner.
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Men’s world number one Jannik Sinner tested positive for a banned steroid, but in a development that has infuriated fellow tennis stars, won’t serve a ban.
The Italian tennis star shared a statement on Tuesday, hours after winning the Cincinnati Open, revealing he had tested positive for Clostebol earlier this year and had failed two anti-doping tests.
The statement revealed Sinner tested positive for a trace element of the anabolic steroid - less than a billionth of a gram - while competing at the Indian Wells Masters on March 10, with those findings kept secret until Tuesday.
A further sample, conducted eight days later out of competition, also tested positive for low levels of the same metabolite.
An investigation by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) found the reigning Australian Open champion had “inadvertently” been exposed to the substance through his physiotherapist.
“(Jannik’s) fitness trainer purchased a product, easily available over the counter in any Italian pharmacy, which he gave to Jannik’s physiotherapist to care for a cut on the physiotherapist’s finger,” the statement read.
“Jannik knew nothing of this, and his physiotherapist did not know that he was using a product containing Clostebol.
“The physiotherapist treated Jannik without gloves and coupled with various skin lesions on Jannik’s body caused the inadvertent contamination.”
The ITIA insisted Sinner was “innocent” and “not at fault”.
While the 23-year-old has been cleared of any wrongdoing, he will be stripped of his results, prize money and ranking points from Indian Wells, where he lost in a semi-final to Carlos Alcaraz, in accordance with the anti-doping rules in force.
“I will now put this challenging and deeply unfortunate period behind me,” Sinner said in a statement shared on his social media channels.
“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.”
— Jannik Sinner (@janniksin) August 20, 2024
Thank you Cincinnati. The crowd and support have been amazing â¤ï¸@FTiafoe congrats on a great week! I always enjoy our battles 😂 pic.twitter.com/ItQpwlyewi
— Jannik Sinner (@janniksin) August 20, 2024
Fellow tennis stars were left fuming over the ITIA’s “not at fault” finding for Sinner, with Aussie firebrand Nick Kyrgios unsurprisingly leading the charge on social media and calling for a two-year ban.
“Ridiculous - whether it was accidental or planned. You get tested twice with a banned (steroid) substance… you should be gone for 2 years,” Kyrgios wrote on X.
“Your performance was enhanced. Massage cream…. Yeah nice.”
In a follow-up post Kyrgios doubled down on his stance writing: “Well at this point, players who do blow get more of a punishment then players who do steroids.”
Canadian tennis star Denis Shapovalov was also bemused by the situation, particularly given the harsh treatment by authorities of other tennis stars who have claimed to have been unwittingly exposed to banned substances in the past.
“Can’t imagine what every other player that got banned for contaminated substances is feeling right now,” Shapovalov wrote on X.
“Different rules for different players.”
British tennis veteran Liam Broady wrote: “Whether Sinner was doping or not. This is not right. Plenty of players go through the same thing and have to wait months or YEARS for their innocence to be declared. Not a good look.”
While French tennis star Lucas Pouille wrote in comments translated to English: “Maybe we should stop taking us for fools, no?”
However former Aussie tennis star John Millman had a more understanding approach, declaring he 100 per cent believes Sinner.
“Before jumping to conclusions, Jannik Sinner had less than a billionth of a gram in his system.. I believe him 100 per cent... maybe we should change threshold cater for contamination,” Millman wrote.
“Finally why the uproar for this when we allow athletes in all sports, including tennis, to abuse TUE’s (Therapeutic Use Exemptions)?”
The ATP, the governing body of men’s professional tennis, backed up Sinner and the investigation process.
“We are encouraged that no fault or negligence has been found on Jannik Sinner’s part,” read a statement on the ATP Tour’s website.
“We would also like to acknowledge the robustness of the investigation process and independent evaluation of the facts under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP), which has allowed him to continue competing.
“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.
“Integrity is paramount in our sport.”
The positive tests were not initially made public while the ITIA investigation was ongoing.
Provisional suspensions were applied to Sinner after the two tests, however he successfully appealed them both meaning that he was able to continue competing throughout the season.
ITIA CEO Karen Moorhouse said: “Following that investigation, the ITIA accepted the player’s explanation as to the source of the clostebol and that the presence of the substance was not intentional.”
- with AFP
Originally published as ‘Ridiculous’: Tennis stars outraged by Jannik Sinner drugs secret
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