Jannik Sinner will not be stripped of his US Open crown or any other title despite once again being in danger of a lengthy doping ban from the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Sinner won the last grand slam of the year – defeating Britain’s Jack Draper in the semi-finals – days after an independent tribunal accepted that the world number one had “no fault or negligence” for two positive tests caused by contamination from a massage performed by your physical therapist.
WADA confirmed on Saturday that it had filed an appeal against that ruling before the highest sports court, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), and that it requested a sanction of “between one and two years.”
But he also said he was “not seeking a disqualification of any result” dating back to Sinner’s positive tests in March for the steroid clostebol, after which he was stripped only of his prize money and BNP Paribas points earned. Open that month in Indian Wells. .
To complicate things, sport telegraph He has been told it could be “months” before Cas hears any appeal, raising the prospect of Sinner defending his Australian Open title in January with the case still pending against him. Sinner had managed to play in both the 2024 French Open and Wimbledon while fighting a provisional suspension and maintaining complete secrecy around the case until the original verdict was reached.
Wada said: “In his opinion, the conclusion of ‘no fault or negligence’ was not correct under the applicable standards. WADA requests a period of ineligibility of between one and two years. “Wada is not seeking disqualification of any result except that which has already been imposed by the trial court.”
Sinner ‘very disappointed and also surprised’
The original investigation into Sinner’s failed tests was carried out by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), which said in response to Wada’s announcement: “Having arrived at an agreed set of facts after a thorough investigative process , the case was completely referred to a court.” independent of the ITIA to determine the level of fault and therefore the sanction due to the unique set of circumstances and the lack of comparable precedent. The process was carried out in accordance with the guidelines of the World Anti-Doping Code; However, the ITIA recognizes and respects WADA’s right to appeal the independent tribunal’s decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Wada announced he had lodged his appeal minutes before Sinner was on court beating Roman Safiullin 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals of the China Open.
He later said he was “very disappointed and also surprised” to learn the news two days earlier, noting that “three hearings” into the case had been “very positive for me.”
He added of the AMA: “Maybe they just want to make sure everything is in the right position.”
Later on Saturday, Sinner issued a full statement saying: “I am disappointed to hear that Wada decided to appeal the outcome of my ITIA hearing after the independent judges exonerated me and found me innocent.
“Over the last few months and throughout this process there have been three separate hearings, in each case confirming my innocence.
“Several months of interviews and investigations culminated in three senior judges examining every detail through a formal hearing.
“They issued an in-depth ruling explaining why they determined that I was not at fault, with clear evidence of my cooperation throughout.
“Following such a robust process, both the ITIA and the Italian anti-doping authority accepted it and waived their appeal rights.
“I understand that things need to be thoroughly investigated to maintain the integrity of the sport we all love. However, it is difficult to see what will be gained by asking a different group of three judges to examine the same facts and documentation once again.
“That said, I have nothing to hide and, as I have done all summer, I will fully cooperate with the appeal process and provide whatever is necessary to prove my innocence once again.”
The China Open is Sinner’s first tournament since her US Open triumph earlier this month.
His victory at Flushing Meadow included a grueling victory over Draper, who was seeking to become the first Briton to reach a men’s singles final at a Grand Slam since Sir Andy Murray won Wimbledon eight years earlier.
Sinner fired the physiotherapistGiacomo Naldi, accused of his failed tests, and the physical trainer Umberto Ferrara, who supplied him with the steroid, after the publication of a decision on his case shortly before the last major of the year in New York.
That was after an independent tribunal convened by Sports Resolutions accepted that Naldi had unknowingly exposed him to the banned substance by using a spray containing it to treat a cut finger and then massaging it.
Ferrara also admitted to having supplied the spray to Naldi, claiming that he had warned him that it contained said substance, although the latter disputed this.
Sinner admitted just before the US Open that he had been “struggling a lot” after his coach, Darren Cahill, said the doping case had made the italian feel so sick who was forced to miss the Olympic Games due to tonsillitis.
The player, who won his first Grand Slam at the Australian Open in January, added of the four-month ordeal: “Of course, it’s not ideal before a Grand Slam. But, in my opinion, I know that I have done nothing wrong.
“I had to play for months with this in my head, but reminding myself that I hadn’t really done anything wrong. I will always respect these anti-doping rules. Obviously, it’s a relief for me to have this result.”
Despite escaping a ban, Sinner was stripped of the 400 ranking points and £250,000 prize money he won at March’s Masters 1000 tournament in Indian Wells, where he was defeated in the semi-finals by Carlos Alcaraz. But he feared it could have been much worse, as not all athletes who tested positive for contamination avoided suspension.
“Of course I was worried, because it was the first time for me and hopefully the last time I find myself in this situation or position,” Sinner said.
“A different part we have to look at is the amount I had in my body, which is 0.000000001, so there are a lot of zeros before we get to a one. So I was worried, of course, because I’m always the player who works very carefully on this. “I think I’m a fair player on and off the court.”
However, the suspension of Sinner’s drug ban sparked a backlash from his fellow professionals, including Nick Kyrgios. calling it “ridiculous”. Sinner suggested the case had exposed who his friends and enemies were, admitting he had to accept he could not control the impact it had on his reputation.
“Anyone who knows me very well knows that I have not done nor would I ever do anything that goes against the rules,” he said. “Here I also know who is my friend and who is not, no, because my friends know that I would never do that.”