Top-ranked tennis player Jannik Sinner has faced significant scrutiny after testing positive twice for a banned anabolic steroid in March. Consequently, he has been stripped of the prize money and points he earned at the Indian Wells tournament. However, the independent tribunal ruled that his violation was unintentional, meaning he will not face suspension.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) confirmed the details of the case on Tuesday. Sinner, who recently claimed victory at the Cincinnati Open, is expected to be a leading contender at the upcoming U.S. Open in New York, which begins next week. He ascended to the No. 1 spot in the ATP rankings in June and is recognized as a key player in the next generation of men’s tennis, alongside fellow star Carlos Alcaraz.
The 23-year-old Italian secured his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January, followed by a semifinal finish at the French Open in June and a quarterfinal run at Wimbledon in July, before opting not to participate in the Paris Olympics due to tonsillitis.
Sinner’s positive tests occurred during the Indian Wells hard-court event. He was found to have trace amounts of Clostebol, a prohibited anabolic steroid that can be used for specific medical purposes. Notably, it is the same substance that led to the suspension of MLB player Fernando Tatis Jr. Sinner tested positive again in an out-of-competition test conducted eight days later.
According to a statement from Sinner’s team, he had “less than a billionth of a gram” of the substance in his system. Initially provisionally suspended due to these results, Sinner successfully appealed to continue his participation on the tour.
His team explained that the positive test stemmed from a product obtainable in Italy that contained Clostebol, which was inadvertently used by Sinner’s physiotherapist to treat a minor injury. The physiotherapist was unaware of the drug’s presence in the over-the-counter product, and the presence of skin lesions contributed to what they described as inadvertent contamination.
The ITIA accepted this explanation and found no intentional wrongdoing. An independent panel’s hearing on August 15 corroborated this, leading to a ruling of “No Fault or Negligence,” allowing Sinner to avoid a suspension, although he still forfeited points from the Indian Wells tournament.
In his statement, Sinner expressed relief and optimism about moving forward. “I will now put this challenging and deeply unfortunate period behind me,” he said. “I will continue to do everything I can to ensure I comply with the ITIA’s anti-doping program, and I have a team around me that are meticulous in their own compliance.”