By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Monday, December 16, 2024
Photo: Will Murray/Getty
The head of WADA believes Jannik the Sinner it could have been contaminated with the banned steroid clostebol.
But he claims the world No.1 still bears some responsibility for failing a pair of doping tests last March.
Director of WADA, Olivier Niggli explained why the organization is appealing Sinner’s steroid case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport — and seeking a one- to two-year ban for the US Open champion.
More: Digging deep into the doping case of sinner Jannik
Last March, Sinner twice tested positive for the banned steroid clostebol at “low levels,” the International Tennis Integrity Agency announced in August, days before the start of the US Open.
Australian Open champion Sinner was not suspended or allowed to play because an independent tribunal ruled he was “not at 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 Program ( TADP) tested positive twice for the banned substance clostebol in March 2024,” ITIA announced in a statement on August 20.
Two-time Grand Slam champion Sinner vehemently denies doping or cheating.
In a new interview with AFP, WADA director Niggli said that even if Sinner’s contamination story is true, he should still be held accountable and suspended for his positive test. That’s why WADA has appealed Sinner’s case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Niggli said.
“In the decision, it was considered that there was no fault on Sinner’s part. Our position is that there is still a responsibility of the athlete regarding his companions”, Niggli told AFP. “So it is this legal point that will be debated (before CAS).
“We do not dispute the fact that there may have been contamination. But we believe that the application of the rules does not correspond to the case law.”
WADA appeals the case of tennis player Jannik Sinner. Read more here: https://t.co/vExHGdmkZG
— WADA (@wada_ama) September 28, 2024
At the US Open, Sinner said he was contaminated by the banned substance, clostebol, through contact with his physiotherapist.
Admitting he was “concerned” he might be banned, Sinner said he was also confident he would be released because he believes the small trace amounts of clostebol in his system bolster 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 I’m in this situation, position,” Sinner said. “There’s also another part we need to look at is the amount I had in my body, which is 0.000000001, so there’s a lot of zeros before we get to 1.
“So I was worried, of course, because I’m always the player who worked very, very hard at it. I believe I’m a fair player on and off the court.”
Sinner’s case returned to the spotlight in September after the Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected an appeal by the Italian. Stefano Battaglino against a ban imposed on him in October 2023.
On September 12, 2024, the CAS court upheld the four-year TADP suspension issued by the independent court of first instance 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 after an in-competition test in September 2022.
Ultimately, in Battaglino’s case, the CAS court determined that he “did not prove the source of the positive test and that the evidence provided was “manifestly insufficient” to prove that the Anti-Doping Rule Violation was unintentional.”
WADA director Niggli said he expects a decision on Sinner’s doping appeal in early 2025.
“There will be nothing until the end of the year,” Niggli told AFP when asked about a timeline for resolving the CAS appeal.
