Jannik Sinner, the top-ranked tennis player, recently faced scrutiny after testing positive twice for a banned anabolic steroid in March at the Indian Wells tournament in California. However, he will not face suspension, as an independent tribunal ruled that the positive tests were not intentional.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) released this information on Tuesday. Sinner, who won the Cincinnati Open just days ago, is considered one of the main contenders at the U.S. Open starting next week in New York. He debuted at No. 1 in the ATP rankings in June and is seen as a leading figure among the emerging stars in men’s tennis, alongside Carlos Alcaraz.
At 23 years old, Sinner claimed his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January and has shown strong performances, reaching the semifinals at the French Open and the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. He chose to skip the Paris Olympics due to tonsillitis.
During the Indian Wells event, Sinner tested positive for low levels of Clostebol, a banned anabolic steroid. This substance is often used for ophthalmological and dermatological treatments, and is the same that led to MLB player Fernando Tatis Jr.’s suspension. Sinner’s second positive result came from an out-of-competition test conducted eight days later.
Sinner’s team stated that the positive test arose from the use of an over-the-counter Italian product purchased by his fitness trainer for treating a small wound. They claimed the physiotherapist, unaware of the product’s contents, treated Sinner without gloves, leading to inadvertent contamination.
The ITIA accepted this explanation, concluding that Sinner’s violation was not intentional. An independent hearing on August 15 confirmed this decision and resulted in no suspension for Sinner, although he lost points from the Indian Wells tournament due to the incident.
In a statement, Sinner expressed his desire to move on from this challenging situation, emphasizing his commitment to adhering to the ITIA’s anti-doping regulations moving forward.