ROME — The steroid case involving top-ranked tennis participant Jannik Sinner was appealed by the World Anti-Doping Agency, the Montreal-based physique introduced Saturday.
WADA stated it's searching for a ban of 1 to 2 years for the U.S. Open champion however indicated that it doesn't plan to again date an eventual ban — which might imply that Sinner may maintain his second Grand Slam title if he's discovered responsible.
The announcement was made whereas Sinner was on courtroom towards Roman Safiullin on the China Open in Beijing.
“Obviously, I’m very disappointed and also surprised of this appeal, to be honest, because we had three hearings. All three hearings came out very positively for me,” the 23-year-old Sinner stated after beating Safiullin.
“You know, I was not expecting it. I knew it couple of days ago, that they were going to appeal, that today it’s going to go official, so… it’s surprise,” he added. “We always talk about the same thing. Maybe they just want to make sure that everything is in the right position. Yeah, I’m just surprised that they appealed.”
Sinner examined optimistic twice for an anabolic steroid in March however was not banned in a choice by an impartial tribunal introduced by the International Tennis Integrity Agency on Aug. 20 as a result of the ITIA decided he was to not blame.
Sinner’s accepted rationalization was that the banned performance-enhancer entered his system unintentionally via a therapeutic massage from his physiotherapist, who had used a twig containing the steroid to deal with their very own reduce finger.
WADA stated it filed an enchantment on Thursday to the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport.
“It is WADA’s view that the finding of ‘no fault or negligence’ was not correct under the applicable rules,” WADA stated in a press release. “WADA is searching for a interval of ineligibility of between one and two years. WADA just isn't searching for a disqualification of any outcomes, save that which has already been imposed by the tribunal of first occasion.”
WADA suggested the rules were not followed correctly despite prosecutor Nicolas Zbinden for tennis’ integrity body — which accepted Sinner’s version of events — being a lawyer who regularly works on high-profile cases for the global watchdog, including the successful appeal against Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva.
An appeal verdict at CAS could come quickly — even within just a few months — if the parties agree to cooperate. At least that’s how it worked in another high-profile doping case in tennis involving Maria Sharapova.
Still, the case likely won't be resolved before Sinner begins the defense of his Australian Open title in January.
Sharapova tested positive at the Australian Open in January 2016 for the newly-banned heart medication meldonium. She was banned for two years in June that year by the International Tennis Federation.
The Russian star appealed to CAS, had an appeal hearing in New York before three judges that September, and four weeks later got the verdict that cut her ban to 15 months.
The entire process for Sharapova with CAS took just four months — far shorter than most doping cases, which typically last for about one year. The timeline can stall with the complexities of picking a judging panel, finding a hearing date and parties exchanging documents and evidence from expert witnesses.
During the Indian Wells hard-court event in March, Sinner tested positive for low levels of a metabolite of Clostebol, a banned anabolic steroid that can be used for ophthalmological and dermatological use. It’s the same drug for which San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. was suspended by MLB in 2022.
Sinner tested positive again eight days later in an out-of-competition sample.
He was provisionally suspended twice by the tennis integrity body because of those test results, but he successfully appealed twice to an independent tribunal judge and was allowed to keep competing on tour.
Sinner said his test results happened because his fitness trainer purchased an over-the-counter spray called Trofodermin in Italy that contained Clostebol and gave it to Sinner’s physiotherapist to treat a cut on the physiotherapist’s finger. The physiotherapist then treated Sinner without wearing gloves.
The ITIA said it accepted Sinner’s explanation, after 10 interviews with the player and his entourage, and the independent panel agreed at a hearing on Aug. 15.
The tennis integrity body decision did order to Sinner to lose the $325,000 in prize money and 400 rankings points he earned at the tournament in Indian Wells.
Sinner later introduced that he had fired his two trainers.
