Jannik Sinner’s ATP rival’s coach explains if World No.1 is ‘doper’ or not with Lance Armstrong reference

Jannik Sinner, a victim of accidental contamination, could face a lengthy ban if CAS's verdict doesn't come out in his favor.

Jannik Sinner’s ATP rival’s coach explains if World No.1 is ‘doper’ or not with Lance Armstrong reference

Lance Armstrong, Jannik Sinner (Images via Wikipedia, X)

Jannik Sinner is curenntly recovering from the fatigue after defending his Australian Open title. About two months later, Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will declare whether Sinner will continue to be a part of the ATP Tour or remain on the sidelines between one to two years.

Fabio Colangelo, coach of Sinner’s compatriot Lorenzo Sonego is convinced that Sinner is not at all a doper. He explained that violating a doping rule doesn’t make players responsible for doping as Sinner had accidentally consumed the banned drug clostebol because his former physio Giacomo Naldi massaged him with his bare hands after using an over-the-counter spray to heal a wound in his finger.

YouTube video

Colangelo also pointed out that Swedish player Mikael Ymer too didn’t dope. Ymer, who recently participated at the Play in Challenger and lost to Patrick Zahraj in straight sets, was banned for 18 months for missing out-of-competition doping tests back in 2021. Colangelo referenced former cyclist Lance Armstrong to firmly deny that neither Sinner nor Ymer willfully violated doping rules.

FS Video

Ymer has not doped, he did not take the tests, violating anti-doping rules. Being doped means being Lance Armstrong. Jannik has never doped and a 30-page sentence says so. But there are pseudo-fans or enthusiasts who claim that he won the Slam because he was doped. Nothing can be done against certain ignorance.

Fabio Colangelo told Fanpage (H/T: Ubitennis)

Armstrong had used performance-enhancing drugs throughout his career due to which, he was stripped of the Tour de France titles he won seven consecutive times between 1999 to 2005. The 53-year-old was also given a life ban from bicycling events.

Tim Henman lauds Jannik Sinner’s mental resilience

Doping cases of high-profile tennis players have ruined the image of the sport, according to former player Tim Henman. Henman is not a fan of anti-doping bodies taking a lot of time to give their verdict on Jannik Sinner‘s case as he praised the World No.1’s mental strength amidst uncertainty.

Jannik Sinner
Jannik Sinner (Image via X)

I’m amazed that Sinner has been able to play such good tennis with that cloud over his head. What the outcome is going to be, I don’t know. We need to get to one final conclusion ASAP.

Tim Henman said on The Sports Agents podcast

Sinner, while dealing with the doping controversy, won last year’s US Open and defended the Australian Open with a straight-set win over Alexander Zverev. In spite of the doping scandal, Sinner ended his 2024 season as the most successful ATP player with eight titles.

Along with Sinner, current Women’s World No.2 Iga Swiatek too was contaminated, by the banned drug trimetazidine because of melatonin medication. Unlike Sinner’s case, Swiatek’s verdict given by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), wasn’t challenged by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).