Jannik Sinner could face a two-year ban after the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) appealed against the verdict of an independent tribunal that he bore “no fault or negligence” over two failed drug tests.
The Italian world No 1 won his second grand slam title at the US Open earlier this month, just 19 days after it emerged that a panel of experts had accepted his explanation that he was inadvertently contaminated with the banned substance clostebol during a sport massage.
But Wada has lodged an appeal against that decision with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, arguing that it was “not correct under the applicable rules”. The agency will push for a ban of between one and two years, although it will not seek to have any of Sinner’s results overturned.
News of the appeal, which was submitted on Thursday, emerged as Sinner continued the defence of his China Open title on Saturday with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory over 69th-ranked Roman Safiullin. He said afterwards that he was disappointed by the decision.
“Obviously I’m very disappointed and also surprised [about] this appeal, to be honest, because we had three hearings,” said Sinner, who won his first major title at the Australian Open in January. “All three hearings came out very positively for me.
“I was not expecting it. I knew it couple of days ago, that they were going to appeal, that today it’s going to go official. But yeah, it’s [a] surprise. We always talk about the same thing. Maybe they just want to make sure that everything is in the right position.”
Traces of clostebol, an anabolic steroid, were found in urine samples taken during and after Sinner’s run to the Indian Wells semi-finals in March. The 23-year-old told the ITIA that the positive tests occurred after his physiotherapist, Giacomo Naldi, used an over-the-counter spray containing the substance to treat a cut on his finger.
Naldi was given the spray by Sinner’s fitness coach, Umberto Ferrara, and used the product before and during the tournament, but did not wear gloves while treating the player. Following the conclusion of the original investigation by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), Sinner was stripped of the 400 ranking points and £250,000 prize money he earned in Indian Wells in March. He has since dispensed with the services of both Naldi and Ferrara.
Wada’s appeal will not attempt to cast doubt on Sinner’s version of events, but rather rests on the ITIA’s alleged failure to apply the rules correctly.
“It is Wada’s view that the finding of ‘no fault or negligence’ was not correct under the applicable rules,” the global anti-doping agency said in a statement. “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.”
The ITIA said the original investigation was conducted in accordance with Wada guidelines, but acknowledged the organisation’s right to mount an appeal.
“Under the terms of the World Anti-Doping Code, Wada has the final right to appeal all such decisions,” the ITIA said in a statement. “Having reached an agreed set of facts following a thorough investigative process, the case was referred to a tribunal entirely independent of the ITIA to determine level of fault and therefore sanction because of the unique set of circumstances, and lack of comparable precedent.
“The process was run according to World Anti-Doping Code guidelines; however, the ITIA acknowledges and respects Wada’s right to appeal the independent tribunal’s decision in the Court of Arbitration for Sport.”
It is possible, but far from certain, that the case could be heard by Cas before the end of the year. Sinner will be free to competein the meantime, but is certain to face renewed scrutiny.
Darren Cahill, Sinner’s coach, revealed before the US Open that the world No 1 struggled to deal with the fallout from the episode long before it became public knowledge. Cahill intimated that the attendant stress was to blame for the Italian missing the Paris Olympics this summer.
“He’s struggled and I think it’s worn him down physically and mentally,” said Cahill. “He got tonsillitis, which is the reason why he missed the Olympics.
“I just want to stress that he’s maybe the most professional young man that I have ever had the chance to work with. He would never ever intentionally do anything, and he’s in a situation that is incredibly unfortunate.”