Some of the leading tennis players on the Tour reacted angrily to the news that Jannick Sinner will not be punished despite having given two positive doping tests during the Masters series tournament in Indian Wells in the spring.
It emerged yesterday that the world number 1 had tested positive for low levels of clostebol, a steroid that can be used to build muscle mass. However, he will not be penalized by the International Tennis Integrity Agency because he was contaminated with the banned substance by his physiotherapist, who used a spray on a wound on his hand and then treated the Italian without gloves.
Nick Kyrgios, Denis Shapovalov and Liam Broady are among the tennis players who have expressed displeasure at the fact that Sinner will get away with it. "This is ridiculous. Whether it was by accident or deliberate, he has tested positive twice for a banned substance. It helps the performance. He should be banned for two years," Australia's Nick Kyrgios wrote in the X.
Sinner will have to return the $325,000 in Indian Wells prize money, and will also be stripped of the 400 world ranking points he earned.
"Whether Sinner doped or not, this is not right. Many players go through this and have to wait months or YEARS to be exonerated. This does not look good for tennis," wrote Britain's Broady. "I can't imagine what any other tennis player who has been punished for contaminated supplements is thinking. Different rules for different players," commented Shapovalov.
For its part, the Association of Professional Tennis Players (ATP) defended Sinner and emphasized that a detailed investigation showed that he was not to blame for what happened. "This incident highlights the need for tennis players and their teams to be extremely careful when using products. Integrity is key to our sport," the ATP said.
A few days ago, Sinner won the Masters title in Cincinnati, and at the upcoming US Open, he will be the leader in the scheme. | BGNES
