"Envious" - After Jannik Sinner's doping row, lower-ranked Bortolotti who too didn't face suspension hits out at Nick Kyrgios, Denis Shapovalov
Marco Bortolotti has come out in support of Jannik Sinner by firing back at Nick Kyrgios and Denis Shapovalov who had commented on the World No. 1's recent positive doping test result and subsequent clearing by the International Tennis Integrity Agency. The higher-ranked Italian tested positive for a banned substance but was ultimately proved innocent, avoiding suspension from the sport.
In March 2024, Sinner tested positive twice for the drug, clostebol, which was found in miniscule amounts in his sample. The ITIA later found that the player was contaminated by his physiotherapist, who unknowingly used a healing spray with clostebol in it, to cure his own finger injury and later massaged the tennis player with bare hands.
Following the announcement that Sinner is innocent, Kyrgios opposed the decision and said that he must have been banned for two years.
"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 [the reported method of contamination]... Yeah nice," Kyrgios said.
Along similar lines, Shapovalov also took to his X and spoke out against Sinner's innocence.
"Can’t imagine what every other player that got banned for contaminated substances is feeling right now,” Shapovalov said.
Following their statements, Marco Bortolotti, ranked No. 355 in singles, called out Nick Kyrgios and Dennis Shapovalov for their statements against Jannik Sinner.
"Those like Kyrgios, Pouille or Shapovalov who speak out of turn are because they have not done analysis and do not know what they are talking about. They read a title and speak because they have the tongue or because they are envious. (Jannik Sinner) has all my solidarity and support," he told ubi tennis (Translated from Italian).
It should be noted that Bortolotti faced a similar controversy at the tail end of 2023. Despite being a lower-ranked player, his case was resolved within three months, with no suspension. The player's case wasn't made public until a conclusion was reached, just like Sinner's.
With the World No. 1 facing accusations of preferential treatment because of his high ranking, Bortolotti rushed to the fellow tennis player's defense.
"No, I never stopped (playing) either. Apart from the fact that when I got the news I was at my last tournament of the year, then at the first tournament of the following season I was cleared," he said.
"Yes, exactly (my case wasn't made public), also because first you have to do all the checks and assessments of the case. You can't just go out and say 'he was found positive' and that's it, you don't even know what substance. The player then has the possibility to ask for counter-proof , there is a process and a path to take. Only when you get to the conclusion can the case be presented."
He also expresssed concerns about the added scrutiny Jannik Sinner has been facing due to being the top-ranked player.
"He is a public figure and compared to my case many more people will know, but I believe and hope for him that the worst is over. It is really stupid : we are talking about a wound cream that does not influence performance, even in him they found a minimal quantity (a billionth of a gram)."
Marco Bortolotti compares his and Jannik Sinner's doping controversy
Marco Bortolotti also tested positive for clostebol (commonly found in over-the-counter medications in Italy), whose presence was found in his urine sample during his campaign in Lisbon in 2023. He was charged with anti-doping violations, however, the player provided an explanation that later proved that the contact with the drug was unintentional.
"My world immediately fell apart. I tried to understand how all this was possible. I would also have had big stains on my future as a coach, which is a path I would really like to take. My partner and my family were very close to me, it wasn't easy. I closed myself off quite a bit, I tried to resolve the case hoping that everything would go well and luckily that's what happened,” he recalled in the aforementioned interview.
Drawing from his own experience, the player came up in support of Jannik Sinner and said:
"We tried to understand where this substance could come from, I did my research and we came to the conclusion, telling our version of the facts which coincided with the laboratory tests collected by ITIA and WADA. I was then cleared at the end of February (2024), with the agreement that I would lose the points and money earned in Lisbon. For the rest, as in the case of Sinner, there was neither fault nor negligence," he noted in the aforementioned interview."
Jannik Sinner recently won the 2024 Cincinnati Open, after trouncing Frances Tiafoe with a 7-6(4), 6-2 scoreboard. He wiill now chase his second Grand Slam title at the US Open.