Jannik Sinner’s doping case remains unresolved as the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) awaits the outcome of its appeal. Director Olivier Niggli explained the key element at this stage of the trial as he awaits a new verdict.
The world number 1 tested positive for Clostebol twice in Indian Wells in March. Sinner appealed and avoided a provisional ban. The InternationalTennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) later ruled that he had committed “no fault or negligence.”
WADA holds Sinner’s team responsible
Sinner came into contact with Clostebol through the actions of a team member. His physical therapist treated the cuts on his hands with a skin cream containing clostebol just before she massaged Sinner. Allegedly, the lack of gloves and small cuts on Sinner’s legs led to Clostebol entering his body.
However, it was only a small amount and is said not to have affected his performance. The 23-year-old tennis star disclosed the situation in August, shortly before the start of his US Open campaign. While it looked like Sinner might put the matter behind him, WADA announced in October that it would appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and seek a ban of one to two years.
For now there will be no decision until 2025 and Sinner will compete at the Australian Open. However, the CAS is expected to make a new decision in the coming months. WADA director general Olivier Nigglist recently told AFP that the issue was not about proving Sinner’s “guilt”, but rather how much responsibility he had to take for his team’s decisions.
“We believe that the athlete still has a responsibility for those around him. So it is this legal point that will be discussed (before the CAS),” Niggli told AFP. “We do not deny that there could have been contamination. But we believe that the application of the rules is not consistent with case law.”
Niggli also emphasized the importance of protecting athletes in such cases, especially their reputation. “I personally believe that protecting an athlete’s reputation should be our first concern. We live in a world of social media, and that means a reputation can go up in smoke in a short space of time.”