There is only one topic of conversation at the US Open: the positive doping tests of world number 1 Jannik Sinner. The Italian is probably innocent, but the special treatment is a source of anger for many.
27.08.2024, 04:59
27.08.2024, 07:02
SDA
Those responsible at the major tennis organizations would have preferred to sweep the case under the carpet. Jannik Sinner had already tested positive twice for the anabolic steroid Clostebol in March, but this only became public a week ago. Conveniently, when the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) had already completed its investigation and was able to announce an acquittal across the board.
When Sinner appeared in front of the media before the US Open for the first time since the case came to light, the presenter wanted to stop any further questions on the subject after an initial statement by the 23-year-old South Tyrolean. After the intervention of an American TV journalist, Sinner then made a relatively detailed statement. He denied any guilt, emphasized the extremely small amount that was found and explained this reasonably conclusively with an injury to his physiotherapist's finger, which he treated with a spray that is freely available in Italy - albeit with a clear doping warning - and transferred to the player during the massage.
Lack of equal treatment
So far, so conclusive. It is plausible that Sinner did not deliberately dope and was the victim of negligence on the part of those around him. Nevertheless, the tennis scene is seething. "I have a clear opinion on the matter," Stan Wawrinka revealed when asked by Keystone-SDA. "But I don't want to discuss it in public." Novak Djokovic did.
The Olympic champion and record Grand Slam champion criticized the lack of equal treatment of cases. "We lack standardized and clear protocols," the Serbian stated. "I can understand the feelings of many players who wonder whether they are being treated equally." In practice, athletes are always provisionally suspended when a positive doping test is announced. In Switzerland, the case of mountain biker Mathias Flückiger has made headlines in recent years. Although he was acquitted in the end, he was not allowed to take part in competitions for months beforehand.
Won three tournaments
Sinner's case was completely different: his team - certainly well advised by good lawyers - immediately came up with an explanation for the unintentional contamination by the spray. Until his acquittal, Sinner won three tournaments in Miami, Halle and Cincinnati and reached the semi-finals at the French Open and the quarter-finals at Wimbledon. Had he been suspended, he would have lost his position as world No. 1 and tennis would have had an extremely undesirable discussion about doping at the highest level. Other players would probably have been suspended during this time and would not have been able to win any world ranking points or earn any money.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) could still challenge the ITIA's decision. Ultimately, however, the main issue is not whether the Italian tried to improve his performance without permission, but whether all players are treated equally. This is obviously not the case - and bothers many.
