Jannik Sinner cleared of wrongdoing after failed drug tests, ITIA says | Tennis News – Times of India

Jannik Sinner, the world’s top-ranked tennis player, tested positive for a banned substance in two separate drug tests conducted in March. However, an independent tribunal has exonerated him of any wrongdoing, the International Tennis Integrity Agency announced on Tuesday, just days before the Italian is scheduled to compete in the US Open.
The tribunal, organized by Sport Resolutions, accepted Sinner’s explanation that the anabolic agent clostebol entered his system through massages and sports therapy administered by a member of his support team.
According to the ITIA, Sinner stated that his physiotherapist, Giacomo Naldi, used an over-the-counter spray containing clostebol to treat a minor finger injury. Naldi then performed massages on Sinner between March 5-13 without wearing gloves, inadvertently transferring the substance to the tennis star’s body.

Naldi had no knowledge that the substance he applied to his wound had clostebol in it, according to Sinner. Clostebol, a steroid, can be utilized to increase muscle mass.
The initial positive sample from Sinner was collected on March 10, followed by another one eight days later. Although provisional suspensions were imposed after each positive result, his team’s prompt appeals allowed him to continue participating in competitions.
“Sinner’s results, prize money and ranking points from the ATP Masters 1000 event at Indian Wells, where the player tested positive in competition for clostebol, are disqualified, ” ITIA said in a statement, citing World Anti-Doping Code and Tennis Anti-Doping Programme regulations.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has announced its intention to examine the ruling and has retained the option to challenge it. Sinner has consistently asserted his innocence throughout the process.

According to Sinner, the quantity of clostebol detected in his system was minuscule, amounting to less than one billionth of a gram.
“I will now put this challenging and deeply unfortunate period behind me,” the 23-year-old said in a statement posted to social media.
The ATP Tour emphasized that the incident “underscores the need for players and their entourages to take utmost care in the use of products or treatments.”
This incident follows another high-profile case involving Simona Halep, a two-time major champion. Halep’s initial four-year doping suspension was reduced to nine months earlier this year after she tested positive for a banned substance at the 2022 U.S. Open. She maintained that she had inadvertently consumed the blood-booster roxadustat through tainted nutritional supplements.
As the world’s top-ranked player, Sinner was already anticipating increased attention upon his arrival in New York for the year’s final major, which begins on Monday. However, this situation has added an extra layer of scrutiny, coming just a day after his victory in a significant U.S. Open preparatory tournament in Cincinnati.
“It’s certainly surprising and shocking, at this moment, especially to me when it happened apparently in March,” seven-times major winner and ESPN analyst John McEnroe said.
“I don’t know how they differentiate between one person, you know, sort of saying he was unaware of it and the reasons behind it and then someone else who says the same thing, you know, gets suspended.”
Nick Kyrgios disagreed with the ruling.
“Ridiculous – whether it was accidental or planned. You get tested twice with a banned substance … you should be gone for 2 years. Your performance was enhanced,” Kyrgios said on X.