Sinner escapes drugs ban after two failed tests

Jannik Sinner, the world No1, has escaped a ban after a tribunal accepted that two failed drug tests were caused through contamination from a bare-handed massage by his physiotherapist.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) confirmed on Tuesday that Sinner bears “no fault or negligence” for the discovery of the banned anabolic steroid clostebol in his urine during the Indian Wells Open in March. Although an unintentional anti-doping violation can result in a suspension of up to two years, the small trace of less than a billionth of a gram was deemed by an independent panel not to have had any performance-enhancing effect.
Sinner’s explanation for the contamination centred on a healing spray that had been used to treat a cut suffered by his physio, Giacomo Naldi. Scientific experts accepted the claim that Naldi had inadvertently exposed Sinner to the ingredient clostebol through regular full-body massages.
Clostebol is a banned substance which has often been the cause of failed drugs tests in sport, particularly in Italy where it features in some over-the-counter products. The anabolic steroid mimics the sex hormone testosterone and promotes muscle growth.
While Sinner is free to continue playing in tournaments, including next week’s US Open, he has been docked the 400 ranking points and £250,000 of prize money he earned for reaching the semi-finals in Indian Wells. This will make no difference to his status as the best player in the world as he presently has a lead of 2,300 points over the world No2, Novak Djokovic.
“I will now put this challenging and deeply unfortunate period behind me,” Sinner said. “I will continue to do everything I can to ensure I continue to comply with the ITIA’s anti-doping programme and I have a team around me that are meticulous in their own compliance.”
Had Sinner received a full suspension this would have been considered one of tennis’s biggest drugs controversies along with the likes of Maria Sharapova’s failed tests in 2016 for the use of meldonium.
Sinner did receive two brief provisional suspensions after receiving notification of his test results — the first from April 4 to April 5 and the second from April 17 to April 20, which did not fall during his tournament schedule — but his application to cancel both was accepted by the independent panel on the balance of probability given the small trace detected.
“We take any positive test extremely seriously and will always apply the rigorous processes set out by Wada [the World Anti-Doping Agency],” Karen Moorhouse, the ITIA chief executive, said. “The ITIA carried out a thorough investigation into the circumstances leading to the positive tests with which Mr Sinner and his representatives fully co-operated.
“Following that investigation, the ITIA accepted the player’s explanation as to the source of the clostebol and that the presence of the substance was not intentional. This was also accepted by the tribunal.”
The chain of events provided by Sinner began in February when his fitness coach, Umberto Ferrara, bought a common medical spray named Trofodermin (which contains clostebol acetate) over the counter in an Italian pharmacy. Bank records were used to confirm the purchase.
Weeks later, Sinner’s team of staff shared a villa together during the Indian Wells Open, held from March 3 to March 17. On the morning of March 3, it is claimed that Naldi reached into his treatment bag and cut a finger on a scalpel. Later that day, Sinner noticed a bandage on Naldi’s finger and asked if any products had been used to treat the cut, to which Naldi responded that he had not used any.
On March 5, Naldi removed the bandage, after which Ferrara recommended that Naldi use the spray to heal the cut. The spray was then used every morning for nine days during a period in which Sinner was receiving regular full-body massages from Naldi with his bare hands.
The tribunal was told that Sinner suffers from psoriasiform dermatitis, a condition which causes him to often scratch the itchy skin on his back and feet, causing small cuts and sores. Three scientific experts accepted that this could have resulted in contamination of a “small concentration” from Naldi’s hands.
On March 10, after winning his second-round match at Indian Wells, Sinner was asked for a urine sample by testers. Another sample was taken on March 18 before the Miami Open, a tournament which Sinner won. Both samples contained a trace of clostebol.
• Jannik Sinner prepares for US Open with Cincinnati Open title win
Since Sinner was notified about the failed tests in April, a long process has followed behind closed doors in which the evidence was collated and the facts established before the tribunal. Given the inevitable distractions off the court, it goes some way to explaining why he struggled to keep up his high level of form this summer after winning his first grand-slam singles title at January’s Australian Open, although he has also been affected by hip problems.
Eventually, Sinner was cleared of any fault or negligence at a hearing held in London on Thursday. Crucially, the tribunal noted that “there is no suggestion the tiny concentration in his system would have had any performance-enhancing effect”. It was also acknowledged that Sinner had been tested, on average, once a month in the 12 months beforehand and had never produced a trace of clostebol.
Nonetheless, this is a reminder for players and their entourages about the perils of using over-the-counter treatments. Naldi and Ferrara remain in Sinner’s team as it stands but it is understood that their positions are being reviewed moving forwards.
• Why tennis won’t rush ‘VAR’ despite Djokovic criticism
“Anti-doping rules have to be very strict to be effective,” Jamie Singer, Sinner’s lawyer, said. “Sadly the unfortunate consequence is that, occasionally, entirely innocent athletes get caught up in them.
“There is no question that Jannik is innocent in this case. The ITIA did not challenge that key principle. However, under strict liability rules Jannik is responsible for whatever is in his system, even when entirely unaware of it, as in this exceptional case.”
The news prompted a backlash among some of Sinner’s fellow players on social media. Nick Kyrgios, the 2022 Wimbledon runner-up from Australia, called for Sinner to be suspended for two years.
“Ridiculous,” Kyrgios wrote on X. “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.”
Denis Shapovalov, the former world No 10 from Canada, also suggested double standards, writing: “Can’t imagine what very other player that got banned for contaminated substances is feeling right now.”
Tara Moore, the British doubles expert who was provisionally banned for 19 months before being cleared, made clear her frustration that Sinner was able to continue playing between the failed tests and his tribunal. “I guess only the top players’ images matter,” Moore wrote.
The announcement by the ITIA came less than 24 hours after Sinner had won his fifth tour title of the year, the Cincinnati Open. On Tuesday he was due to travel to New York to begin his preparations for the US Open, which starts on Monday.