By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Saturday, September 28, 2024
WADA is appealing Jannik Sinner's steroid case, seeking a ban of "between one and two years." Wold No. 1 Sinner reacts to today's news.
Photo credit: Matthew Calvis
WADA is appealing Jannik Sinner's steroid case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport—and seeking a ban of one to two years for the world No. 1.
The World Anti-Doping Agency announced today it has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport the result of Sinner's doping case.
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“It is WADA’s view that the finding of “no fault or negligence” was not correct under the applicable rules," WADA said in a statement today. "WADA is seeking a period of ineligibility of between one and two years.
"WADA is not seeking a disqualification of any results, save that which has already been imposed by the tribunal of first instance.”
Informed of WADA's statement after his 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 China Open victory over Roman Safiullin today, Sinner said he was "very disappointed" by WADA's appeal.
“Obviously, I’m very disappointed and also surprised," Sinner told the media in Beijing today. "We had three hearings.
"All three hearings came out very positively for me. Maybe they just want to make sure that everything is in the right position.”
Last March, Sinner twice tested positive for the banned steroid clostebol in "low levels" the International Tennis Integrity Agency announced in August days before the start of the US Open.
Sinner was not suspended and permitted to play because an independent tribunal ruled he was at "no fault" for the steroid contamination in his system.
"The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) 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), having twice tested positive for the prohibited substance clostebol in March 2024," the ITIA announced in a statement on August 20th.
Two-time Grand Slam champion Sinner adamantly denies doping or cheating.
Sinner provided a urine sample at Indian Wells on March 10, 2024, which contained the presence of a metabolite of clostebol "at low levels," the ITIA announced.
A further sample, conducted out of competition eight days later, also tested positive for the same metabolite.
"On both occasions, Sinner successfully appealed the provisional suspension and so has been able to continue playing," the ITIA said.
At the US Open, Sinner said he was contaminated by the banned substance, clostebol, through contact with his physiotherapist.
Conceding he was “worried” he could be banned, Sinner said he was also confident he would be cleared because he believes the minute trace amounts of clostebol in his system reinforce his claim of inadvertent contamination.
“Of course I was worried, because it was the first time for me, you know, and hopefully the last time that I am in this situation, position,” Sinner said. “There also a different part we have to see is the amount I had in my body, which is 0.000000001, so there are a lot of zeroes before coming up a 1.
"So I was worried, of course, because I'm always the player who was working very, very carefully in this. I believe I'm a fair player on and off the court.”
Sinner's case was thrust back into the spotlight earlier this month after the Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed an appeal from Italian Stefano Battaglino against a ban imposed on him back in October 2023.
On September 12, 2024, the CAS tribunal upheld the four-year TADP suspension issued by the first-instance independent tribunal against Battaglino, who, like Sinner, tested positive for clostebol.
Battaglino, who reached a career-high world singles ranking of No. 760 in July 2022, tested positive for clostebol and its metabolites following an in-competition test in September 2022.
Ultimately, in Battaglino's case, the CAS tribunal determined that he "did not prove the source of the positive test, and that the arguments provided were “manifestly insufficient” to prove that the Anti-Doping Rule Violation was unintentional."
Now, WADA will put Sinner's explanation of inadvertent contamination through his physio to the test in its appeal.