Jannik Sinner's positive test: doping, sanctions, image… all the questions surrounding the Italian tennis player

Cleared after two positive tests for a doping product (the anabolic agent clostebol), the world number one tennis player Jannik Sinner may not be quite done with this affair that is tarnishing his image.

With less than a week to go before the US Open kicks off in New York, the Itia decision has sparked criticism from several players and may be subject to appeal.

What happened?

Sinner tested positive for doping in two tests eight days apart in March 2024: on March 10 during the Indian Wells tournament and on March 18, out of competition but just before the Miami tournament. Trace amounts of clostebol were found in his urine.

The Italian defended himself by explaining that he had been contaminated by a member of his staff, who had applied an over-the-counter spray containing clostebol to his own hand to treat a small injury, according to the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).

pic.twitter.com/8UhRd8qik9

— Jannik Sinner (@janniksin) August 20, 2024

Explanation accepted by the agency which revealed on Tuesday the affair kept secret until then. Both times, the player appealed, which allowed him to reduce his automatic suspensions (from April 4 to 5 for the first, from April 17 to 20 for the second).

The fact remains that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) indicated on Wednesday "that it reserves the right to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS)". The Italian Anti-Doping Agency (Nado) can also appeal to try to obtain a suspension for the 23-year-old player.

What is clostebol ?

WADA classifies him in the“anabolic androgenic steroids”, a long list of testosterone derivatives that can stimulate muscle growth. Since clostebol is not naturally produced by the body, there is no threshold concept: its presence is enough to be detected for an anti-doping test to be considered positive.

The anti-doping authorities also do not explain what quantity would have a significant effect on performance.

What are the sanctions provided for ?

In Sinner's case, there are three possible thresholds for suspension from all competition: four years (the default sanction for an anti-doping rule violation), two years if he could prove that the drug was not intentional, or no suspension if he could establish “how the substance entered his body”, by showing that he himself had committed no “fault or negligence”, which would require providing the ITIA with a plausible contamination scenario.

Jannik Sinner. MAXPPP – MARK LYONS

This is the latter conclusion reached by the independent tennis tribunal, which therefore applied to Sinner the sanction provided for in such cases by the Tennis Anti-Doping Program (TADP): the withdrawal of results, ATP points and bonuses from the tournament in which the positive test was recorded.

Have there been other comparable cases??

The same reasoning was applied on March 21 to Marco Bortolotti, Sinner's compatriot: he tested positive for clostebol during the ATP Challenger tournament in Lisbon in October 2023, The Italian had established the "unintentional contamination" and had only lost the results obtained during this competition, without serving a suspension.

As early as the end of 2020, a study published in the journal Drug testing and analysis (“Detection of clostebol in sports : Accidental doping ?”) noted an increase in detections of clostebol, “particularly in Italy”, where this molecule is sold without a prescription in the form of a healing cream, Trofodermin.

Thank you Cincinnati. The crowd and support have been amazing ❤️@FTiafoe congrats on a great week! I always enjoy our battles 😂 pic.twitter.com/ItQpwlyewi

— Jannik Sinner (@janniksin) August 20, 2024

Last May, the specialist doping website Honest Sport counted "38 Italian athletes tested positive for clostebol between 2019 and 2023", including footballer Fabio Lucioni, captain of Benevento Calcio during its promotion to Serie A, and two tennis hopefuls, Matilde Paoletti and Mariano Tammaro. Honest Sport certainly pointed out that Italy was one of the few countries where clostebol was easily available in pharmacies, but questioned these alleged cascading contaminations while a warning on the Trofodermin packaging reminds us that the cream contains a prohibited product.

What impact on Sinner's image ?

Sober, diligent, reserved but terribly effective, Sinner has made its way to the top of the world pyramid and into the hearts of the public. But players like the Frenchman Lucas Pouille (“Maybe we should stop taking us for fools, right ?”) or the Australian Nick Kyrgios (“You should be suspended for two years. Your performance has been improved") have directly attacked their colleague via social media social.

🎾 #USOpen | 📱 Après les révélations de l'affaire de dopage impliquant Jannik Sinner, le monde du tennis réagit. pic.twitter.com/iIhIqA3cb1

— francetvsport (@francetvsport) August 21, 2024

Sinner was however supported by his compatriot Nicola Pietrangeli in the Corriere dello sport: “I am certain that he is clean, and if I were him, I would have the money I earned with merit at Indian Wells back“, explained the double winner of Roland-Garros in 1959 and 1960.