WADA appeals to CAS against Jannik Sinner’s doping decision, seeks lengthy ban
Jannik Sinner is in hot water again regarding his doping controversy that first came to the surface before the US Open.
Jannik Sinner (Image via X)
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has confirmed it will appeal the decision allowing Jannik Sinner to continue playing tennis after failing a drug test. In a statement, WADA said the ruling of “no fault or negligence” was wrong. The WADA aims to call for an ineligibility period for the Italian player.
On August 20, Sinner was given an anti-doping sanction. The incident shook the tennis world due to a top player facing a doping violation. He lost his prize money and ranking points from the Indian Wells tournament in March after testing positive for Clostebol.
It is WADA’s view that the finding of “no fault or negligence” was not correct under the applicable rules. WADA is seeking a period of ineligibility of between one and two years. WADA is not seeking a disqualification of any results, save that which has already been imposed by the tribunal of first instance.
WADA statement
Sinner avoided suspension by arguing that his physiotherapist, Giacomo Naldi, used a spray containing Clostebol on himself. Naldi then gave Sinner a massage without wearing gloves, which led to the contamination. Some known individuals do not believe the explanation.
This news broke during Sinner’s match against Roman Safiullin at the China Open. The 23-year-old is the tournament’s defending champion, having won last year against Daniil Medvedev. Moreover, Sinner has made significant changes to his coaching staff to prevent any such thing from happening again.
Jannik Sinner’s breakthrough 2024 campaign under a dark cloud
Jannik Sinner‘s doping scandal came to light just a few hours after his Cincinnati Open win. The Italian tested positive twice for a banned substance but was not banned by the tennis authorities. This series of events resulted in intense criticism directed toward him.
On the eve of the US Open, many former and current players criticized the tennis authorities for having ‘double standards’ against him. Notable figures included Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Nick Kyrgios, and John Millman. Kyrgios went one step further, stating that he would not be as hospitable to the Italian as he is to the other players because individuals have been penalized for doing the exact same thing.
Some notable examples of players who were banned for similar offenses are Simona Halep and Maria Sharapova. Interestingly, Halep had the same coaching panel as Sinner, as both had hired Darren Cahill as their full-time coach.
Although Sinner escaped a ban, all of his prize money at Indian Wells and the ranking points from that campaign were taken away from him. Now, the attempts from WADA to seek an ineligibility period will become another obstacle for Sinner to overcome.
Fahad Hamid
(314 Articles Published)