Jannik Sinner continues his defense of the Australian Open title under a cloud of controversy following two failed drug tests last March.
Initially cleared by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) after testing positive for an anabolic steroid, Sinner now faces a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appeal that could lead to a suspension. The ITIA accepted Sinner’s explanation that the banned substance, clostebol, entered his system through a massage given by his physiotherapist, who had used a steroid-containing spray on a finger injury. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is scheduled to hear WADA’s appeal on April 16 and 17.
Sinner, the current world No. 1, will aim to convince the CAS tribunal that he took all reasonable precautions to avoid a positive test. However, sports scientist Dr. Ross Tucker has suggested the possibility that Sinner may have deliberately used clostebol, exploiting a defense of accidental contamination.
“There’s a chance Sinner knew clostebol was in the cream and used it deliberately, counting on a contamination defense,” Tucker said on the Indo Sport podcast. He cited a medical study demonstrating how clostebol could transfer via a massage, noting that this could create a loophole for doping. Tucker added, “It’s a clever way to dope, but impossible to prove. CAS may delve into areas the initial ruling did not.”
Sinner has produced evidence, including an Italian university study, to support his claim of accidental contamination. The study showed clostebol could transfer from one individual to another through brief contact, such as a massage. While Tucker acknowledged the plausibility of Sinner’s explanation, he emphasized that it might not satisfy CAS’s requirement for demonstrating utmost precaution.
“Clostebol has a history of being used for doping, particularly in Eastern Germany, and its recent cases in Italy raise suspicions,” Tucker said. “While WADA acknowledges Sinner’s explanation, they argue the athlete bears some degree of fault for the positive test.”
ITIA CEO Karen Moorhouse told Tennis365 that Sinner could face a one-to-two-year suspension if CAS rules against him, emphasizing that his case differs from those of former world No. 1 players Iga Swiatek and Simona Halep, whose bans involved contaminated products.
“If a banned substance is detected, the baseline suspension is four years,” Moorhouse explained. “A finding of unintentional use can reduce that to two years, and proving no fault can eliminate the sanction. However, Sinner’s case does not involve a contaminated product. The substance in question was listed on the product label used by the physiotherapist. For such cases, the sanction range is one to two years.”
Moorhouse added that WADA will likely argue Sinner failed to exercise sufficient caution, distinguishing his situation from Swiatek’s or Halep’s cases. If Sinner is handed a one-year suspension, he would miss four Grand Slam tournaments and lose his No. 1 ranking, returning to the sport without any ranking points.
While the date for WADA’s appeal remains undecided, it will not be among the CAS appeals scheduled for February 2025.
