Richard Gasquet slams the ITIA for poorly handling Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek’s doping cases
Richard Gasquet has blamed the International Tennis Integrity Agency for mishandling Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner's doping cases.
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Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek, (in circle) Richard Gasquet (via Tennis365/Tennis.com/NBC Sports)
The tennis world had barely gotten to grips with Jannik Sinner’s doping saga when Iga Swiatek’s doping case was made public. The two top players in the circuit have been subjected to several questions and allegations lately.
Richard Gasquet, however, believes that the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) managed the situation poorly. In March, Sinner failed two drug tests as he tested positive for Clostebol, but he was still allowed to continue playing while the ITIA completed its investigation.
However, the public was never informed until August, when the ITIA revealed that World No. 1 was cleared of the doping case and that there was no fault or negligence on Sinner’s part. While the dust around the case had hardly settled, the ITIA announced that Swiatek tested positive for trimetazidine in August.
The ITIA also added that the Polish star had no fault or negligence. Like in Sinner’s case, the ITIA only revealed the full reports after they had investigated the issue and not when the player failed the drug test.
This has caused a major storm in the tennis community, as several players, including Taylor Fritz and Denis Shapovalov, slammed the ITIA for its double standards. Adding to those growing voices is Gasquet, who has stated that the ITIA didn’t manage things properly.
I think that all sports are quite difficult. All sports can at some point have doping. Tennis can be part of it. Obviously, there was cycling. Now, there is tennis… Anything is possible. What worries me the most is that we don’t really understand how it works. You learn about it afterwards! Normally, there is a trial, then you have a deliberation, you have a sentence that falls. Here, we learn everything at the same time and that is not normal, it doesn’t mean anything. It is not up to standard.
Richard Gasquet said (via tennis365)
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has appealed Sinner’s doping case to the Court of Arbitration for Sports. A date for the hearing is yet to be confirmed, but there’s expectation that it would come before the French Open in June.
Serena Williams’ ex-coach says Jannik Sinner has changed the game
Over the past 12 months, Jannik Sinner has been arguably the best men’s player. The Italian earned two Grand Slams this season and, for the first time, ended the year as World No. 1.
Last month, Sinner helped Italy retain the Davis Cup title a few weeks after defeating Taylor Fritz to win the ATP Finals in Turin. Serena Williams’ ex-coach Rick Macci has praised the 23-year-old for his consistent displays this year.
Sinner has changed the game with raw firepower with modifications on the forehand. He has a flare of inverting of the racquet face extreme and now the Flip and Pull when it hits the Slot is More explosive. And he hits the ball so early he delivers the daily double, @janniksin.
Rick Macci wrote on X
Sinner has changed the game with raw firepower with modifications on the forehand. He has a flare of inverting of the racquet face extreme and now the Flip and Pull when it hits the Slot is More explosive. And he hits the ball so early he delivers the daily double, @janniksin
— Rick Macci (@RickMacci) December 3, 2024
Sinner has a lot to prove next year and will be the player everybody wants to beat. His first challenge will be defending his title at the Australian Open, which gets underway on January 12.
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Victor Okechukwu
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