Holger Rune’s mother slams fake quote attributed to her about Jannik Sinner’s doping scandal

Jannik Sinner failed the drug test in March last year and has been handed a three-month doping ban by the WADA.

Holger Rune’s mother slams fake quote attributed to her about Jannik Sinner’s doping scandal

Jannik Sinner, Aneke Rune, Holger Rune (Image via X/The Tennis Podcast, We Are Tennis, Raghav)

Jannik Sinner is currently serving his three-month doping ban. He has so far played just the Australian Open this season and won it.

And according to a fake quote attributed to Holger Rune‘s mother, Aneke Rune, the 21-year-old couldn’t win the title at the Melbourne Slam because the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) handled Sinner’s case quite conveniently. The WADA had previously demanded a lengthy ban on the Italian but they shockingly reached a case resolution and handed Sinner a three-month ban.

This added fuel to the fire as critics said that they were convinced that all the anti-doping agencies were giving preferential treatment to Sinner because of his high-profile status. Amid criticism, Aneke had raised concerns about the scandal.

She found the one-year and three-month processing time too long and unreasonable. As per Aneke, the scariest thing about clostebol is that it can be easily transferred to the players by a third party. But when Aneke came across the fake quote that did rounds on the internet, she sternly urged the user to stop spreading misinformation.

Stop spreading fake information constantly!

Aneke Rune wrote on X

Check out her post here:

Rune was defeated by the World No.1 in the fourth round of the Australian Open. The match saw Sinner struggling due to some illness and he also sparked controversy by taking an 11-minute medical timeout to receive treatment. Sinner then went all the way to the final and defended his title by breezing past World No.2 Alexander Zverev, winning his third Grand Slam title following the 2024 Australian Open and the 2024 US Open.

Umberto Ferrara says he feels demonized after Jannik Sinner’s doping scandal

Jannik Sinner‘s former fitness trainer Umberto Ferrara had purchased a spray from Italy that contained the banned anabolic drug clostebol. He had been using it for chronic disease for years and had suggested to Sinner’s former physio Giacomo Naldi to use it as the latter had an injury on his finger.

Jannik Sinner, Umberto Ferrara
Jannik Sinner, Umberto Ferrara (Image via X/Tennis Channel, Punto de Break)

But during a physiotherapy session, Naldi massaged Sinner with bare hands, and clostebol entered the 23-year-old’s body and that’s how he failed the drug test. After the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced Sinner’s case, the tennis ace ended his partnership with both Naldi and Ferrara. The fitness trainer had foreseen the possibility of the split but he also felt demonized because of the criticism he has been receiving from a section of the tennis community.

Yes, very much. I had to note that someone chose to attack me, reporting facts and circumstances in a superficial way, deliberately ignoring the content of the Independent Tribunal’s ruling, which clearly determined individual dynamics and responsibilities.

Umberto Ferrara told La Gazzetta dello Sport

Ferrara then joined Matteo Berrettini‘s team. He said that the 28-year-old, amid criticism, did his research and made the decisions he thought were the best.

Umberto Ferrara claims there was no violation of rules from the ITIA

When the ITIA announced that Jannik Sinner bore no fault or negligence, they were accused of double standards as critics argued how many players in the past have dealt with lengthy suspensions despite unintentional contamination. But Umberto Ferrara thinks the ITIA followed the right procedure.

Jannik Sinner
Jannik Sinner (Image via X/The Tennis Letter)

Absolutely. I found the statements very balanced and appreciated that ITIA clarified that it had based its assessments on advice provided by a legal team.

Umberto Ferrara told La Gazzetta dello Sport

Sinner could make his comeback at the Italian Open following his ban. He is, however, confirmed to participate at the Hamburg Open ahead of the French Open. Last year, Sinner failed to reach the final of all the tournaments he played on the red dirt and has so far won only one title on the surface (at the 2022 Umag Open).