Jannik Sinner, the world of male tennis player N ° 1 in the world, will head to the US Open with his steroid scandal behind him.
Sinner, who has tested positive twice for an anabolic steroid prohibited earlier this year, will not be suspended. The International Tennis Integrity Agency said on Tuesday that the prohibited substance that it had tested positive for having involuntarily entered its system by a massage of its physiotherapist, and that the sinner was “not at fault”.
Although he will always lose ranking points and prices he received at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, in which he was in competition when he was tested positive for the first time, the sinner will avoid the suspension.
“I will now put this difficult and deeply unhappy period behind me,” said Sinner in a press release that he shared on Instagram. “I will continue to do everything I can to make sure to continue to comply with the ITIA anti -doping program and I have a team around me which is meticulous in their own compliance.”
The sinner was tested positive for Indian Wells in March for low levels of clostebol metabolite, which is the same anabolic steroid as the star of San Diego Padres Fernando Tatis Jr. was suspended at 80 games for the major baseball league in 2022. Tatis and his father pretended he came from a tired ringing medication.
Sinner was then tested positive a second time eight days later after the tournament, and he was temporarily suspended. However, he called on this decision, and was authorized to continue to compete.
ITIA said in a statement that the positive test was a “result of the contamination of a member of the support team, who had applied an over -the -counter spray containing clostebol to their own skin to treat a small injury ». This was then transmitted to the sinner through “daily massages and sports therapy”.
“The anti -doping rules should be very strict to be effective,” said lawyer to Sinner, Jamie Singer, in a press release. “Unfortunately, the unfortunate consequence is that, sometimes, fully innocent athletes are found. There is no doubt that Jannik is innocent in this case. ITIA has not challenged this key principle. However, under strict rules of responsibility, Jannik is responsible for everything in his system even when he did not know it entirely, as in this exceptional case. »»
Sinner took first place in the world ranking for the first time in his career in June. The 23 -year -old won the Australian Open in January, which marked his first Grand Chelem title, and he beat Frances Tiafoe to win the title of Cincinnati Open on Monday. The sinner reached the semi -finals at the French Open and the quarterfinals of Wimbledon this season, and it is listed at +200 – even with Novak Djokovic and slightly behind Carlos Alcaraz – to win the US Open on Betmgm .
“We are encouraged that no fault or negligence has been found from Jannik Sinner,” the ATP tour said in a statement, via the Associated Press. “We would also like to recognize the robustness of the investigation process and the independent evaluation of the facts within the framework of the Tennis Anti -Doping Program (TADP), which allowed it to continue to compete.
“This was a difficult question for Jannik and his team, and underlines the need for players and their entourage to take great care in the use of products or treatment. Integrity is essential in our sport.”