Jannik Sinner improved to 48-5 in 2024 thus far at Frances Tiafoe’s expense on Monday, racking up his second Masters 1000 title of the calendar year – third in twelve months – before the Italian’s latest achievement was quickly overshadowed some 12 hours later as news broke about him being cleared of wrongdoing over two failed March anti-doping tests not before made public.
Dealing with an uncomfortable truth
- World no. 1’s positive results were kept secret for five months as he received two provisional suspensions – one day shortly after winning Miami, then three days just before Madrid later in April during off-weeks
- 23-year-old successfully argued the test results were via contamination through his physiotherapist, Giacomo Naldi, who accidentally cut his finger before treating him without gloves after using over-the-counter spray Trofodermin – which contains the banned substance clostebol
- Clostebol is an anabolic androgenic steroid (AAS) derived from testosterone and can build muscle. Sinner had less than a billionth of a gram recorded in his system during two positive tests – March 10 in-competition at Indian Wells, then post-competition eight days later
- What did he say? “I will now put this challenging, deeply unfortunate period behind me. I will continue to do everything I can to ensure I continue complying with the ITIA’s anti-doping programme and have a team around me that are meticulous in their own compliance,” Sinner said in statement
- Sinner’s Indian Wells semi-final result has been disqualified alongside 400 ranking points and $325,000 (£250,000) in prize money earned
AS if the sport didn’t need any more controversial subplots before the year’s final Major, one emerged on Tuesday afternoon UK time when news filtered through that world no. 1 and Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner avoided a doping ban after arguing his positive tests for clostebol in March were a result of contamination.
13 aces, 85% first serve points won (28/33) and a +14 winners-to-unforced error differential (27/13) saw him eventually breeze beyond Frances Tiafoe to claim Masters 1000 silverware in Cincinnati as perfect preparation for the US Open, but Sinner’s latest success has been overshadowed by a story that will continue to linger.
Sinner successfully appealed his provisional suspension twice, April 4-5 and April 17-20, otherwise a public announcement would’ve been triggered. Yet the unsettling lack of transparency has many questioning such a sensitive issue, doping in sport.
This information was kept private throughout the process, thus opening an uncomfortable can of worms with many pointing to preferential treatment and double standards given his status compared to others in similar circumstances.
Two-time Major champion and former world no. 1 Simona Halep is the most high-profile example, having returned from a belatedly reduced suspension in Miami but only played one more competitive match in the five months since – dealing with an ongoing knee injury. She turns 33 next month and her future is unclear.
It was made public she tested positive for roxadustat – later contesting it was caused by supplement contamination – at the 2022 US Open and the ITIA published a 126-page investigative report twelve months later, asking for her 2022 results to be disqualified. Only after 18 months was she cleared for an immediate return, the ban reduced to nine after an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Britain’s Tara Moore (contaminated meat), Mikael Ymer and Jenson Brooksby (three whereabouts failures) are among the other players handed hefty suspensions in recent seasons, the former setting up a fundraising page to cover a range of costs incurred by her inability to play while the investigation persisted. This was different.
Sinner could afford to pay a legal team to expedite his case – reaching a verdict in less than five full months – and while he benefited from the double-edged sword privacy provides as things were going on, continued to play (and win!) as normal.
That is perhaps the biggest takeaway here. The tribunal believed Sinner did everything in his power to reduce the risk of a doping offence, though wordage from his team suggests accountability rests on one man’s shoulders when more should’ve collectively been done as soon as the Trofodermin was in their possession.
What did they say?
- Sinner suffers from a skin condition called psoriasiform dermatitis on his back and feet, causing itchy skin and scratching leads to small cuts and sores. His team argued contamination through the aforementioned massage treatment – three scientific experts confirmed this was a plausible explanation for the presence of clostebol in his system
- World no. 1 maintained he didn’t know Umberto Ferrara had bought, or Naldi was using Trofodermin — the ITIA accepted his arguments on the balance of probability, with the independent tribunal concluding the player had “no reason” to suspect any anti-doping risk from treatment
- ITIA chief exec Karen Moorhouse and ATP released statements, the former thanking the independent tribunal for speed and clarity of their decision, ATP encouraged Sinner bore no fault or negligence while saying this “underscores the need for players, their entourages to take utmost care” when using products or treatments, reaffirming importance of integrity
Darren Cahill, who joined Sinner’s team in July 2022, spoke about the psychological toll it has had on the Italian. He told his ESPN colleague Chris McKendry: “I guess if you’re not a Jannik fan, you may not see too much difference in what he has been doing the last few months because he has still been playing quite well.
If you are, you would have seen a big chance in his body language, physicality, excitement to be on court – he’s struggled and I think it’s worn him down physically and mentally. I just want to stress that he’s maybe the most professional young man I have ever had the chance to work with, would never ever intentionally do anything, and in an incredibly unfortunate situation.”
On the suggestion the world no. 1 received special treatment, Sinner’s lawyer Jamie Singer argued it was the opposite. He told BBC Radio 5 Live the decisions came from those without bias in the case, rather than any tour governing body:
“It’s perfectly reasonable to wonder that, but I think it’s actually the reverse. Because he was such a superstar, the ITIA took it exceptionally seriously but it was independent tribunals making those decisions, and that’s the critical piece here – nobody within tennis decided this, independent judges did.
It’s had a huge impact on him, he’s been a different character over the summer, much more introverted. This is a mistake the physio [Giacomo Naldi] made, and so he’s living with all of this scrutiny because a physio made a mistake.”
Ferrara is a qualified pharmacist and Sinner’s team leader on anti-doping, diet and physical training. Knowing the spray contained a banned substance, wouldn’t he take extra precautions to alert everyone else – especially if he wasn’t present?
Naldi is said to have no memory of the conversation when Ferrara supposedly warned him, didn’t check the spray contents nor remember whether he always washed his hands after applying it on his cut before massaging Sinner.
In the business of self-preservation, that sounds like someone’s being made the sacrificial lamb here. Cahill said the rest of Sinner’s team are deciding whether the pair should come to the US Open, just days before it kicks off and there’s a duty of care that was dismissed in this instance. All things considered, would you want that?
Picture source: Getty Images, quotes hyperlinked
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