Explained: Why Jannik Sinner has been cleared of wrongdoing despite failing anti-doping tests

Aug. 21, 2024, 8:59 a.m.

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The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced on Tuesday (August 21) that World No. 1 Jannik Sinner has been exonerated of any wrongdoing following two positive tests for a prohibited substance at Indian Wells.

What happened?

At Indian Wells tournament, Umberto Ferrara, part of Sinner’s team, had a bottle of Trofodermin in his possession. The spray contains Clostebol, a steroid declared as a doping substance by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

Trofodermin is used to treat skin wounds. Giacomo Naldi, Sinner’s physiotherapist, had a cut on his finger and Ferrara applied the spray.

Advertisement As per Sinner’s defence, Naldi applied a massage to Sinner without gloves, which produced contact between the steroid, which was on Naldi’s hands, and Sinner’s skin. This, per Sinner’s appeal, is where the infection would have occurred.

According to the ITIA, Sinner provided a sample during the Indian Wells competition on March 10, 2024, which revealed traces of a clostebol metabolite at a low concentration.

A subsequent sample, taken eight days later outside of competition, also revealed a positive test for trace amounts of the same substance.

The Italian reached the semi-finals in Indian Wells and won the tournament in Miami that followed right after. Both times, Sinner allegedly didn’t know of the positive test result.

He was reportedly informed about the positive result in April. He then decided to withdraw from tournaments in Madrid and Rome, citing hip issues. In total, he missed 27 days of competition.

During this period, Sinner, his legal team, and his representatives swiftly appealed the automatic suspension that is triggered when a player tests positive.

In the hearing, they proved that the amount was tiny (one billionth of a gram) and that it was accidentally injected into the player’s system. For this reason, he was allowed to continue playing.

What makes clostebol unique?

In March of this year, Marco Bortolotti also tested positive for clostebol and was cleared of any negligence. In his case, the Italian tennis player claimed that the substance entered his system accidentally.

Advertisement The substance has been found in several Italian tennis players, and it seems to be common, since this spray is sold in pharmacies and does not need a prescription. Although, it very categorically mentions “Doping” on the bottle.

Sinner and Bortolotti are not the only tennis players who have tested positive for clostebol. In 2021, Matilde Paoletti and Mariano Tammaro, both 17 at the time, also tested positive.

According to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), half of the world’s clostebol cases originate from Italy. This is largely because Italy is one of the only remaining countries where clostebol is still available for purchase. This was also the case with Meldonium in Russia, which led to Maria Sharapova's positive test.

Advertisement Why ITIA exonerated Sinner?

“ITIA today confirms that an independent tribunal convened by Sport Resolutions has ruled that Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner bears No Fault or Negligence for two Anti-Doping Rule Violations under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP),” said the agency in a statement.

“The player explained that the substance had entered their system as a result of contamination from a support team member, who had been applying an over-the-counter spray (available in Italy) containing clostebol to their own skin to treat a small wound.”

Has Sinner been punished in any way?

Although the 23-year-old has been exonerated of any wrongdoing, he will forfeit his results, prize money, and the 400 ranking points earned at Indian Wells, in accordance with the anti-doping regulations.

Advertisement “I will now put this challenging and deeply unfortunate period behind me,” said Sinner in a statement published 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.”

How have other players reacted?

Many of Sinner's fellow tennis players have publicly expressed their disapproval.

It's getting ugly real fast.

I've never seen ANYTHING like this before. pic.twitter.com/fLHVOFkYFM

— Swish 🍒 Tennis (@Zwxsh) August 20, 2024 Advertisement Other players on the tour have reacted to the news with scepticism and anger.

“Ridiculous – whether it was accidental or planned,” wrote Australian player Nick Kyrgios on X.

“You get tested twice with a banned (steroid) substance… you should be gone for 2 years. Your performance was enhanced. Massage cream… Yeah nice.”

Canadian Denis Shapovalov wrote on social media: “Can’t imagine what every other player that got banned for contaminated substances is feeling right now.”

Moreover, the ITIA handled this situation far more effectively compared to the mishandling of Simona's case.

Jannik is one of the nicest people on tour. At least review the report before making any conclusions.

— John Millman (@johnhmillman) August 20, 2024 It’s even worse now that they are giving “Filing Failures” and going back months to see where you made errors in the details of your submissions. It’s happened to me already where I put the right address and time.. they never came to test me but later saw that my “in competition”… https://t.co/D2cbpfE7VQ

— Vasek Pospisil (@VasekPospisil) August 20, 2024 Why are other players miffed?

The positive tests were not initially made public while the ITIA investigation was ongoing. ITIA clarified that they’re not supposed to release the findings immediately when a player fails a dope test.

“The WADA rules dictate when cases become public. When any player has a finding, there is a very carefully managed process to confirm the finding, investigate and then next steps agreed,” said a statement.

“If a player is provisionally suspended, then we announce it. Once a case is concluded, we announce it. In this case, the player was issued with a provisional suspension for each of the findings.”

“On both occasions he successfully appealed the provisional suspensions to an independent arbitrator. Once an appeal is successful, it remains anonymous. Had the player’s appeal been turned down, it would have been announced. I hope that clarifies.”

Sinner was given temporary suspensions following both tests. However, he successfully challenged each of these suspensions, allowing him to continue competing.

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.”

The ATP, the governing body of men’s professional tennis, backed up Sinner and the investigation process.

ATP STATEMENT ON JANNIK SINNER

‘We are pleased that no fault or negligence has been attributed to Jannik Sinner. We would also like to commend the thoroughness of the investigation process and the independent evaluation of the evidence under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme…

— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 20, 2024 “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.”