Jannik Sinner allegations: How the drugs controversy started, how Clostebol entered his system, & everything else you need to know about the timeline
Jannik Sinner recently made headlines after it was announced that the World No. 1 will be participating in the US Open next week despite the emergence of news that he tested positive twice for a banned anabolic steroid in March.
With Sinner not being suspended over the same, the tennis world is divided over whether the Italian is subjected to preferential treatment. This is because while Sinner was allowed to participate in events from March up till now, tennis players are otherwise not allowed to compete until such matters are resolved.
Sinner took to social media and released a statement on the same via his Instagram handle:
“I will now put this challenging and deeply unfortunate period behind me. I will continue to do everything I can to ensure I continue to comply with the (sport’s) anti-doping (program) and I have a team around me that are meticulous in their own compliance.”
Sinner has had a phenomenal year so far and the sudden emergence of this matter raised questions about why was it kept under wraps for so long and why the Italian was not suspended or banned.
Jannik Sinner's doping drama: What is it about?
Jannik Sinner won his maiden Grand Slam at the Australian Open this year and reached the World No. 1 ranking in June. Additionally, wins in Miami and Cincinnati, amongst other accomplishments, have led several fans to include Sinner along with Alcaraz as the future of tennis following the era of 'Big Three'.
During Indian Wells in March this year, Sinner tested positive for an anabolic steroid called Clostebol, which is considered to be a performance enhancer and is banned. While Sinner was suspended for two positive results, he challenged the decision which was then overturned.
Sinner said that he was exposed to the drug through a spray containing Clostebol that his physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi used to treat his wound. Sinner argued that his consumption was unintentional as Naldi later gave him a massage and subsequently contaminated him with the banned drug. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) accepted Sinner's explanation and cleared him of any wrongdoing.
However, as one of the positive results came during the Indian Wells tournament, Sinner was made to forfeit $325,000 in prize money and the ranking points he earned for his semifinal appearance at the tournament.
Following this, the discussions also debated Sinner potentially being suspended from playing in tournaments from March onwards and Djokovic possibly keeping his top ranking.
What the tennis players had to say about Sinner's doping controversy
Sinner being given a clean chit by the ITIA received mixed views from across the tennis fraternity with some players deeming the decision to be unfair and questioning why the Italian's case was handled differently.
World No. 2 Novak Djokovic, who lost his No.1 ranking to Sinner earlier this year, expressed his views on the incident and said:
“I understand the frustration of the players is there because of lack of consistency. As I understood, his case was cleared the moment basically it was announced. But, you know, I think five or six months passed since the news (of the positive tests) was brought to him and his team."
“So, yeah, there is a lot of issues in the system. We see lack of standardised and clear protocols. I can understand the sentiments of a lot of players that are questioning whether they are treated the same,” he added.
Similarly, World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz also spoke about it during the 2024 US Open pre-tournament conference. Empathizing with the Italian, Alcaraz nonetheless stressed the importance of a 'clean sport.'
“A really difficult moment for him. I’m not gonna lie, it is complicated. Well, I believe in a clean sport. You know, I am pretty sure that there are a lot of things that we don’t know, you know, inside the team or inside everything,” Alcaraz said. “But if they let Jannik to keep playing, (it’s) for something. They said he’s innocent, so that’s all I know and that’s all I can talk about.”
Another tennis star to speak about the issue was Frances Tiafoe, who respected ITIA's decision and took a neutral stance on the matter:
"Obviously he's an incredible player, and, you know, government bodies made a decision, they went and did that. He's cleared to play. You know, that's pretty much what I have to say about it. All the best to him in the US Open, and I'm just excited about me doing my thing at the Open," Tiafoe said during a press conference.
Canadian tennis player Denis Shapovalov also expressed his views on his X handle and wrote:
"“Different rules for different players.....Can’t imagine what every other player that got banned for contaminated substances is feeling right now.”
American tennis player Tennys Sandgren believed that the situation was handled differently.
“The Sinner explanation does seem pretty plausible, which is great, but yeah how this was handled really doesn’t seem fair compared to other players whatsoever."
Nick Kyrgios claimed that Sinner should have received an immediate ban.
“Ridiculous. 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. Massage cream…. Yeah nice," Kyrgios wrote.
"Bruh, they probably tested when it was just leaving his system? The amount doesn’t matter. Wtf his team doing with something like that anyway? Save it, he failed 2 steroid tests. Should be gone," he added.
Former World No. 1 Andy Roddick had a more balanced view in support of Sinner which he expressed in an episode of his podcast 'Served with Andy Roddick.'
"I care. I think facts matter more than feelings in this scenario. And I'm not going to tell you the way to feel. I'm going to tell you as much information, and then judge away, but at least judge away knowing processes, etc," Roddick said (at 11:40).
"You get tested at every slam, so there's no chance he was not clean at the Australian Open if he tested as much as he did," Roddick added at (10:00). "
Roddick said one needs to understand the case completely and discussed a source to explain why it could have taken time for the news about the incident to be publically disclosed:
"The question that I had, along with others initially, was, 'How did this not become public before now?' March test, we found out yesterday. I was under the impression that once you test positive, you are notified, it is to be made public. That's false, which was my ignorance. It only goes public once the final tribunal decision is handed down, which, in Sinner's case, was yesterday."
Romanian tennis star Simona Halep was in a similar situation after testing positive for a banned blood booster almost two years back and not only received suspension but also faced criticism from the tennis fraternity.
Discussing the alleged inconsistencies in handling the cases, American tennis legend John McEnroe said (via Forbes):
“I think Halep said that and she was suspended for 18 months and Sinner said he unknowingly had this and then he’s not suspended. So clearly from the players’ standpoint, you want it to be sort of uniform. This is a guy at the moment ranked No.1 in the world. This is surprising news for all of us."
Jannik Sinner's coach Darren Cahill's defense
Darren Cahill has coached Sinner alongside Simone Vagnozzi since 2022 and was a part of the team when the Italian won his maiden Grand Slam.
Additionally, following the eruption of the controversy, Cahill, who has also been an analyst for ESPN, talked about the case and Sinner in general.
“He’s a good man. He’s been brought up with honorable parents. He’s honest to a core, and you can see that in the way he plays," Cahill told ESPN.
Cahill further explained how Sinner came in contact with the banned substance:
“We are all really well-read in anti-doping and WADA rules. Umberto’s been in the game for 15 years. He’s got degrees, he’s owned a pharmacy in Italy. He’s worked with many players here. He’s in charge of Jannik’s anti-doping, his diet, his physical training: everything surrounding Jannik off the court.”
Cahill further stressed the kind of emotional toll that the case took on Sinner's mind which is something that affected "his body language, physicality on the court, his excitement to be on the court."
When asked why Sinner's case was handled differently compared to other tennis players, Cahill said that the authorities were able to immediately trace the source of contact for the banned substance.
“With Jannik’s case, they knew exactly where it came from. Within five minutes, they knew this could be the only possible place that it came from. They were pretty quick to get to Sports Resolutions to get that temporary ban lifted," Cahill said.
Leaving this chapter behind, Sinner recently announced his decision of parting ways with his physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi and fitness coach, Umberto Ferrara, stating a lack of confidence about continuing with their partnership.