By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Wednesday, September 4, 2024
Photo: Corleve/Mark Peterson
NEW YORK –Roger Federer BELIEVE Jannik Sinner’s explaining how a banned steroid got into his system.
The Swiss superstar said questions of consistency in the anti-doping protocol had sparked controversy in Sinner’s case.
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Talking to Today Show host and avid tennis fan Savannah GuthrieFederer said he understands the frustration some players have expressed over the way Sinner’s case was handled.
“I understand the frustration of ‘Is he treated the same as everyone else?'” Federer told the Today Show. “And I think that’s where it comes in.”
World No. 1 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. Another sample, performed out of competition eight days later, also tested positive for the same metabolite.
The ITIA said after each positive test, a temporary suspension was applied to Sinner.
“In both cases, Sinner successfully appealed the interim suspension and has thus been able to continue playing,” the ITIA said.
Sinner said he was contaminated by the banned substance, clostebol, through contact with his physiotherapist and has strongly denied cheating.
Some players accused a double standard at work in that Sinner was allowed to continue playing for six months before the ITIA announced it was finding “Not Guilty” in his case, while Simona Halep the claim of unintentional contamination was initially rejected and she was not allowed to play. Halep took her case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and won a reduced sentence on appeal.
Twenty-time Grand Slam champion Federer said that while he trusts anti-doping testing, the inconsistency of the process raises questions.
“I think we all very much believe that Jannik did nothing, but the inconsistency potentially that he shouldn’t have sat while they weren’t 100 percent sure what was going on, I think that’s the question here that needs to be answered. “, Federer said. “But look, it is what it is, and we have to trust the process as well as whoever is involved.”
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.”
The ITIA said it conducted numerous extensive interviews with Sinner and his team as part of its investigation. The ITIA referred the case to an independent tribunal to review the specific facts and determine what, if any, fault Sinner had for the positive tests.
After a hearing on August 15, the independent tribunal determined a finding of “No fault or negligence applied to the case, resulting in no period of ineligibility”.
However, Sinner’s results, prize money and ranking points from the ATP Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells, where he tested positive for clostebol competition, have been disqualified.
“It’s not something we want to see in our sport, this kind of news, whether he did something or not, or any player did,” Federer told Savannah Guthrie on the Today Show. “It’s just noise that we don’t want.”
