WADA Appeals Decision Clearing World No. 1 Jannik Sinner After Positive Drug Test

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has announced its intention to appeal the ruling of an independent tribunal that cleared world No. 1 tennis player Jannik Sinner of wrongdoing after he tested positive for a banned substance in March 2024.

Sinner, 23, has avoided suspension since the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) stated in August that he was not at fault for the positive tests, which revealed low levels of Clostebol, an anabolic steroid. The tests were conducted eight days apart at Indian Wells.

In his August statement, Sinner attributed the positive results to “inadvertent contamination of Clostebol” from treatment administered by his physiotherapist. He explained that the physiotherapist applied an over-the-counter spray on their own skin to treat a small wound, which inadvertently affected Sinner during treatment.

“The fitness trainer bought a product available over the counter in any Italian pharmacy and gave it to Jannik’s physiotherapist for a cut on the physiotherapist’s finger,” Sinner’s statement read. “Jannik was unaware of this, and the physiotherapist did not know it contained Clostebol. His treatment without gloves, combined with skin lesions on Jannik’s body, led to the contamination.”

The ITIA accepted Sinner’s explanation after consulting experts and lifted the provisional suspension that had been imposed following the positive tests.

However, WADA has now stated that the ITIA’s decision “was not correct under the applicable rules.” The agency is seeking a suspension of “between one and two years” for Sinner, while not seeking disqualification of results beyond those already determined by the tribunal, which includes the forfeiture of prize money and ranking points earned at Indian Wells.

“I cannot control everything, no?” Sinner said after WADA’s appeal was announced. “I’m very disappointed and surprised by this appeal, to be honest, because we had three hearings. All three hearings came out very positively for me.”

Before the US Open in August, Sinner split from his physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi and fitness coach Umberto Ferrara due to the incident. He went on to win the US Open, securing his second grand slam title of the year. As WADA filed its appeal, Sinner was competing in the round of 16 at the China Open, where he defeated Roman Safiullin.