Jannik Sinner doping controversy explained: Why was Sinner's ban revoked?

The Italian tennis star said that his fitness trainer had purchased an over-the-counter spray that contained Clostebol. The spray was used to heal a cut on his finger

Italian tennis star Jannik Sinner turned out to be one of the prime contenders for the US Open after the world number one clinched the title at the Cincinnati Masters on August 20.

However, it was just moments later that the 23-year-old found out that he had failed two dope tests that he had taken in March. Sinner, however, avoided the consequences of the test as he said that it was the result of an accidental contamination.

What is doping?

Doping in the field of sports refers to the act of consuming an illegal substance that has been banned by the concerned authorities. Athletes use these substances to gain an unfair advantage over their competitors.

 

What was Jannik Sinner tested positive for?

During Sinner’s Masters 1000 tournament, an in-competition test was conducted by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) on March 10, 2024, in which an ‘adverse analytical finding’ for a banned anabolic steroid called Clostebol was found.

The following test which was taken out of the competition on March 18 also found the same substance in Sinner’s bloodstream.

Why did Jannik Sinner not get suspended?

If a tennis player has failed a dope test for non-specified substances in the World Anti-doping Agency (WADA) list, like Clostebol, there is a mandatory provisional suspension for the player which, in ITIA’s case, is four years.

However, according to the rules, athletes are allowed to appeal against the suspension and it might be removed if he/ she can prove that the violation was due to a contaminated product.

Sinner was suspended from April 4 to April 5 and then between April 17 and April 20 after failing to go through to the final of the Monte Carlo Masters. On both occasions, his appeals had eventually been successful resulting in the removal of the suspensions.

Sinner said that his fitness trainer, Umberto Ferrara had purchased an over-the-counter spray Trofodermin which contains Clostebol. The spray was used to heal a cut on his finger.

The ITIA had accepted his argument to lift the suspension, a decision which was then backed by an independent tribunal appointed by a company that oversees doping cases called Sport Resolutions. The report said that Sinner ‘bore no fault or negligence’ for the violations by the Tennis Anti-Doping Program (TADP).

How did tennis players react to lifting of Sinner’s suspension?

While a case of accidental contamination isn’t uncommon, tennis stars all around the world voiced their opinion on the alleged bias towards the world number one. Popular tennis star Nick Kyrgios took to his social media after the suspension was lifted.

“Ridiculous – whether it was accidental or planned. You get tested twice with a banned (steroid) substance… you should be gone for 2 years. Your performance was enhanced. Massage cream…. Yeah nice,” Nick Kyrgios wrote on X.

“Can’t imagine what every other player that got banned for contaminated substances is feeling right now. Different rules for different players,” Denis Shapovalov wrote via her social media account.

“I guess only the top players’ images matter. I guess only the independent tribunal’s opinion on the top players is taken as sound and right,” said British player Tara Morre. Tara had been suspended for 19 months in a case that eventually turned out to be accidental contamination as well.

Former Grand Slam champion Simona Halep had her six-year ban after the 2022 US Open reduced to nine months after appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) that the failed test was due to an accidental contamination.