WADA appeals decision that cleared world No. 1 tennis player Jannik Sinner after he tested positive for a banned substance

(CNN) — The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) says it’s lodging an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after an independent tribunal found world No. 1 tennis player Jannik Sinner wasn’t at fault for twice testing positive for a banned substance in March 2024.

Sinner, 23, has so far avoided suspension from competition since the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced in August that he wasn’t at fault despite testing positive for Clostebol, an anabolic steroid. Two samples collected eight days apart at Indian Wells in March showed low levels of the drug.

In a statement posted on social media in August, Sinner said the positive tests stemmed from “inadvertent contamination of Clostebol” through treatment from his physiotherapist. The two-time grand slam winner also said that his physio had been applying an over-the-counter spray to their own skin – not on Sinner – to treat a small wound.

“His fitness trainer purchased a product, easily available over the counter in any Italian pharmacy, which he gave to Jannik’s physiotherapist to care for a cut on the physiotherapist’s finger,” Sinner’s statement said.

“Jannik knew nothing of this, and his physiotherapist did not know that he was using a product containing Clostebol. … The physiotherapist treated Jannik without gloves and coupled with various skin lesions on Jannik’s body caused the inadvertent contamination.”

An independent tribunal convened by the ITIA accepted this explanation after consulting with experts and allowed Sinner to successfully appeal the provisional suspension which applied after each positive test, the organization said in August.

But on Saturday, WADA said the ITIA’s decision “was not correct under the applicable rules.” The agency is now seeking a suspension of “between one and two years” for the 23-year-old Italian.

WADA added in its statement that it is “not seeking a disqualification of any results, save that which has already been imposed by the tribunal of first instance,” referring to the ITIA’s decision to strip Sinner of the prize money and ranking points he won at Indian Wells where he reached the semifinals.

“We cannot control everything, no?” Sinner told reporters, per Reuters, after WADA’s appeal was announced. “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.”

On the eve of the US Open in August, shortly after the positive tests were announced publicly, Sinner said he had split with his physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi and fitness coach Umberto Ferrara because of the incident.

He went on to win the US Open and claim his second grand slam title of the year. As WADA announced its appeal on Saturday, Sinner was playing in the round of 16 at the China Open where he defeated Roman Safiullin.

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