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No. 1 men’s tennis player Jannik Sinner will play in the US Open — which starts in New York next week — despite just announcing that he tested positive for a twice-banned anabolic steroid in March.
It’s a case that nobody knew about until Tuesday, and that has sparked all kinds of questions — and in some cases, criticism — from other players who wonder if there was a double standard at play because of Sinner’s success, and are puzzled as to why it was all kept under wraps, and i want to know why Sinner was allowed to continue competing before the decision was made.
“I am now leaving this challenging and very unfortunate period behind me,” Sinner said in a statement on social media. “I will continue to do everything I can to ensure that I am in compliance with (the sport’s) anti-doping (program) and have a team around me that is very strict about their own compliance.”
Not everyone is quite ready to move on. And it will be interesting to see how much scrutiny Sinner gets – from other athletes, spectators, the media – during the last Grand Slam of the year, where he is the top-ranked man.
“Different rules for different players,” 2021 Wimbledon semifinalist Denis Shapovalov wrote on social media.
Here’s a look at some of the issues with Sinner events:
Who is Jannik Sinner?
Sinner is a 23-year-old Italian who was ranked No. 1 in the ATP rankings for the first time in June and is considered one of the leaders of the next group of male tennis stars to follow Roger Federer’s treble. , Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
Sinner won his first Grand Slam title in January at the Australian Open, where he knocked out Djokovic in the semifinals before sweeping from two sets down in the final to beat Daniil Medvedev.
He is 48-5 with a tour-leading five titles; his most recent title came at the Cincinnati Open on Monday.
What is Clostebol, a synner drug with a positive test?
Clostebol is an anabolic steroid found in creams and sprays sold over the counter in some countries, such as Italy, used to treat wounds or scratches.
It is considered a performance enhancer, and several athletes in various sports have been suspended after testing positive; one high-profile example was San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr., who received an 80-game suspension from Major League Baseball in 2022.
Sinner provided a urine sample with traces of Clostebol during the Indian Wells tournament in California in March; an out-of-competition sample eight days later also tested positive.
Why was Sinner allowed to continue the race?
Sinner was temporarily suspended for two positive results, but he appealed those bans, saying he was accidentally exposed to steroids. He claimed that one member of his team bought a spray containing Clostebol in Italy and then gave it to another team member – a physiotherapist – who cut the finger. Sinner said the physical therapist then gave him a massage, which delivered the substance to Sinner.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), which handles the sport’s anti-doping and anti-corruption investigations, accepted his explanation, as did an independent tribunal that found Sinner was neither negligent nor at fault.
Was the sinner punished at all?
Because one of the positive tests came during the tournament, Sinner had to forfeit $325,000 in prize money and 400 ranking points he earned by reaching the semifinals in Indian Wells.
What do other players think about the Sinner case?
Many players jumped on social media to share their views on the latest high-profile doping case in tennis. The list includes the appeal bans of Grand Slam champions Maria Sharapova and Simona Halep.
Nick Kyrgios, the Wimbledon runner-up in 2022, called the situation “ridiculous” and said he thought the ban was justified.
Tennys Sandgren, a two-time Australian Open quarterfinalist, said Sinner’s explanation for how the steroid got into his system “seems pretty plausible,” but added that “the way this was handled doesn’t really seem fair to other players.”
There were also those who stated that Jenson Brooksby and Mikael Ymer were both arrested for missing tests.
“I think they protect the top players. By ‘protecting’ they keep it a secret for a few months. They keep certain things secret if you’re a top player because they don’t want the press, the player doesn’t want the press. Everything comes out in three months anyway,” said Chris Evert, an 18-time Grand Slam champion who is now an analyst for ESPN.
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AP Tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
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