No. 1 Jannik Sinner exams constructive for steroid, will not be banned

World No. 1 Jannik Sinner twice tested positive for a banned substance in March but will not be suspended because he was not at fault, the International Tennis Integrity Agency announced Tuesday.

The samples the Italian submitted at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells on March 10 and March 18 contained low levels of the prohibited substance clostebol, violating anti-doping rules, according to an independent tribunal appointed by Sport Resolutions.

However, it was found that clostebol, a steroid, entered Sinner’s system through a third party. A support team member who had been using an over-the-counter spray that contained the substance to treat his own wound passed it on to Sinner through therapy performed without gloves.

“I will now put this challenging and deeply unfortunate period behind me,” Sinner said in a statement posted to Instagram on Tuesday. “I will continue to do everything I can to ensure I continue to comply with the ITIA’s anti-doping programme and I have a team around me that are meticulous in their own compliance.”

Although Sinner remains eligible for all ATP Tour events, he will lose the ranking points and prize money he earned at Indian Wells. He lost in the semifinals to Carlos Alcaraz of Spain there.

“We are encouraged that no fault or negligence has been found on Jannik Sinner’s part,” the tour said in a statement Tuesday. “We would also like to acknowledge the robustness of the investigation process and independent evaluation of the facts under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP), which has allowed him to continue competing. This has been a challenging matter for Jannik and his team, and underscores the need for players and their entourages to take utmost care in the use of products or treatments. Integrity is paramount in our sport.”

The independent tribunal heard the case last week.

“We take any positive test extremely seriously,” said Karen Moorhouse, the CEO of ITIA. “The ITIA carried out a thorough investigation into the circumstances leading to the positive tests with which Mr. Sinner and his representatives fully co-operated.

“Following that investigation, the ITIA accepted the player’s explanation as to the source of the clostebol and that the presence of the substance was not intentional.”

–Field Level Media