Jannik Sinner avoids the CAS judgment, scheduled for April 16 and 17, and reaches an agreement with Wada to close the Clostebol case with a three-month disqualification . The South Tyrolean tennis player, fresh from the Australian Open, thus closes – without admitting his guilt – a case that has been dragging on for over a year.
The agreement comes after the director of Wada had “threatened” the world number 1 with a 1 to 2 year ban through the press.
Sinner will be able to return to the court on May 4, in time to participate in the Internazionali d'Italia (from May 7 to 18) and then at Roland Garros . Given the large advantage he has accumulated, he will presumably do so as number 1 in the world.
Sinner
"This case has been hanging over me for almost a year now and the process still had a long time to go with a decision that perhaps would only come at the end of the year ," explained the Italian tennis player. "I have always accepted being responsible for my team and I believe that the strict rules of Wada are an important protection for the sport that I love. On this basis I accepted Wada's offer to resolve this proceeding on the basis of a three-month sanction."
Binaghi
"It is the first time that a shameful injustice makes us happy because the first thought is for the boy who sees a nightmare come to an end ", says the president of the Fitp, Angelo Binaghi . "This agreement - he continues - certifies Jannik's innocence, his absolute non-guilt, and finally allows him to calm down and plan his future with a grand return to Rome, where all of Italy will welcome him as he deserves ".
"The regret remains - concludes Binaghi - for everything he had to go through and for all the time Jannik had to spend with this burden. If nothing else, this will perhaps be the last great mistake of Wada which, as we know, has already decided to change the rules that forced Jannik to accept a compromise that even if it does not recognize any responsibility of his is truly unfair".
The Wada
The World Anti-Doping Agency acknowledged that Sinner "had no intent to cheat and that his exposure to Clostebol did not provide any performance-enhancing advantage." The incident, according to a Wada statement, "occurred without his knowledge as a result of negligence by members of his entourage, but under the Code and CAS precedent, an athlete is liable for the negligence of his entourage ."
Again: "In September, WADA lodged an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in the case of Mr Sinner, who had been found by an independent tribunal not to be guilty or negligent. Notwithstanding the appeal, the circumstances of the specific case meant that, in order to ensure a fair and appropriate outcome, WADA was willing to enter into a settlement agreement , in accordance with Article 10.8.2 of the World Anti-Doping Code."
"Based on the unique facts of this case, a three-month suspension is considered an appropriate outcome . As previously indicated, WADA did not seek a disqualification for any result other than that previously imposed by the first-instance court (the semi-final of Indian Wells 2024, the tournament in which the positive test was found, ed.) . The International Tennis Federation and the International Tennis Integrity Agency, both of which were involved in WADA's appeal, did not appeal the first-instance decision and have both accepted the settlement agreement."
The facts
As is known, in March 2024, during the Indian Wells tournament, urine tests revealed Sinner was positive for Clostebol, a banned anabolic steroid , a substance not specified in the Wada prohibited list.
The amount found, 86pg/mL, was infinitesimal, and all experts agree that it does not affect athletic performance . Clostebol must be taken in very high quantities to alter performance. Sinner immediately appealed the suspension, which was accepted by the Itia (International Tennis Integrity Agency) which definitively exonerated him on August 15 , when the case exploded and was made known to the media.
Neither fault nor negligence, in addition to the failure to alter sports performance. The reconstruction of the facts, accepted by Itia, is the following. Giacomo Naldi, physiotherapist of the world number 1, bought Trofodermin for a wound on his finger (also highlighted by the plaster he was wearing in Sinner's box during the Indian Wells tournament), an ointment that is sold without a prescription in pharmacies and contains the prohibited substance. Then he massaged the tennis player without gloves, contaminating him . Reconstruction also accepted by Wada, according to which however the athlete is also responsible for his own staff and must be punished . Hence the appeal of the World Anti-Doping Agency against the acquittal, an appeal that, without this agreement, would have been discussed at the CAS on 16 and 17 April. Wada had asked for a ban of 1 to 2 years for Jannik, as also underlined in a recent interview with La Stampa by the director of the Agency. A few days after that interview, the agreement. Sinner, without admitting his responsibilities, accepts Wada's offer of a three-month ban.
The consequences
Sinner will miss the tournaments in Indian Wells, Miami (where he defends 1,000 points), Monte Carlo (where he defends 400) and Madrid (he defends 200). He will therefore lose 1,600 points, but has a 3,700 advantage over Zverev and a 4,500 advantage over Alcaraz. Therefore, unless the German or the Spaniard make a sensational breakthrough, on May 4 he could return to the court in Rome as world number 1 .
