The Jannik Sinner doping scandal has shocked tennis to the core – and the story isn’t going away as he moves closer to clinching the US Open title.
Sinner has reached the last four at Flushing Meadows, and next faces Britain’s Jack Draper, but the focus has been on his two failed drug tests from March.
Sinner has been accused of receiving special treatment, after his provisional suspension was overturned, and he was allowed to play on to become world No.1.
It was announced in late August that the Italian had avoided any type of serious punishment – such as a ban or suspension – which has very much divided opinion.
But what drug did Sinner test positive for? What was Sinner’s explanation for the failed tests? Why is it all so controversial? And what have other tennis stars said?
Metro.co.uk has explained everything you need to know about the Sinner doping scandal…
What drug did Jannik Sinner test positive for?
Sinner twice tested positive for clostebol, a steroid that can be used to build muscle mass.
What was Jannik Sinner’s explanation for the failed drug tests?
Sinner was controversially cleared by a tribunal after they learned his physio applied spray to a cut on his hand before giving the player a bare-handed massage. This was said to have caused ‘contamination’.
Why have Jannik Sinner’s failed drug tests been so controversial?
Many feel that Sinner, one of the new poster boys of men’s tennis, has benefited from specialist treatment, comparing his case to the likes of Simona Halep.
The world No.1 and Australian Open champion, though, insists: ‘I was treated like everyone else. The reason why I kept playing was because we knew exactly how it entered my system and where it was from. It was in the spray.
‘So all things considered, I haven’t had a different treatment. The process was very long. Then after it went with bigger weight because when you feel like the result is coming – you still don’t know what’s coming. It was a not easy period for me.’
What have other tennis players said about it?
Many players – past and present – have called out the International Tennis Integrity Agency for giving Sinner special treatment. Some feel they’re letting him off the hook, with outspoken Australian Nick Kyrgios one of Sinner’s main critics.
Canadian tennis star Denis Shapovalov said: ‘Can’t imagine what every other player that got banned for contaminated substances is feeling right now.’
Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion who missed this year’s US Open due to fitness issues, said: ‘I have a virtue or a deficit, which is that in the end I usually believe in people’s good faith.
‘I know Sinner, I don’t believe that Sinner has ever wanted to dope. I don’t think we have to like it only when it is resolved in the way we think. In the end, justice is justice and I believe in justice.
‘I believe in the bodies that have to make decisions and that really make them based on what they believe is right.’
How have tennis fans reacted to Rafael Nadal’s comments about Jannik Sinner?
Most tennis fans have approved Rafael Nadal’s stance on the Jannik Sinner scandal.
‘Makes sense,’ @RandomUserRU123 posted on Reddit. ‘The people who criticised Jannik are washed up pro players who would not even make it to the third round of a major, even if they were juiced to the gills.’
‘This is a good stance to take,’ @34TH_ST_BROADWAY added while a third user, @Meibisi said: ‘Very reasonable and my thoughts exactly.’
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic, meanwhile, has called for ‘clear protocols’ and ‘standardised approaches’ amid the Sinner scandal.
‘I understand the frustration of the players is there because of a lack of consistency,’ 24-time major winner Djokovic said.
‘As I understood, his case was cleared the moment basically it was announced. But I think five or six months [had] passed since the news [of the positive tests] was brought to him and his team.
‘So, yeah, there is a lot of issues in the system. We see a lack of standardised and clear protocols.
‘I can understand the sentiments of a lot of players that are questioning whether they are treated the same.
‘Hopefully the governing bodies of our sport will be able to learn from this case and have a better approach for the future. I think collectively there has to be a change.’
Roger Federer
‘It’s not something we want to see in our sport, these types of news, regardless if he did something or not, or any player did,’ Roger Federer said. ‘It’s just noise that we don’t want.
‘It’s the nightmare of every athlete and team to have these allegations and these problems because we fill out these forms all day every day. And it lives with you.
‘Every morning when you wake up, you think, ‘Is somebody at the door coming to test me?’ So it’s really difficult. I understand the frustration of, ‘Has he been treated the same as others?’ – and I think this is where it comes down to.
‘I think we all trust pretty much that Jannik didn’t do anything, but the inconsistency potentially that he didn’t have to sit out while they weren’t 100 percent sure what was going on, I think that’s the question here that needs to be answered.’
Nick Kyrgios
‘Ridiculous – whether it was accidental or planned,’ the Australian star posted on X.
‘You get tested twice with a banned (steroid) substance… you should be gone for 2 years. Your performance was enhanced. Massage cream…. Yeah nice.’
Kyrgios, a Wimbledon runner-up in 2022, then added: ‘I stand by every word. Everything I put on social media I have to stand up for.
‘I’ve seen many of my friends go through doping things and being suspended. We’ve seen players like [Simona] Halep and everyone and it seems like every time one of these things comes up, there’s always a different process for different players.
‘It’s nothing against Sinner personally at all. I know how important he is. He’s one of the greatest tennis players we have right now… and how important he’s gonna be for the next 15 years. I’m not denying any of that. Nothing against him personally.
‘If you look at Jenson Brooksby.. players who’ve had their careers taken away for up to a year.. and someone like Sinner just kind of doing it his own kind of way. I think he had it on his own terms for most of the time. I don’t think that’s fair and equal for the rest of the tour.’
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