Tennis world No 1 Jannik Sinner cleared of wrongdoing after failed drug tests, ITIA says
- The tribunal accepted his explanation the ‘less than a billionth of a gram’ of clostebol entered his system through massages by his physio
World No 1 Jannik Sinner failed two drug tests in March but has been cleared of wrongdoing by an independent tribunal, the International Tennis Integrity Agency said on Tuesday, days before the Italian is set to play at the US Open.
The tribunal convened by Sport Resolutions accepted the Australian Open champion’s explanation that the anabolic agent clostebol entered his system from a member of his support team through massages and sports therapy.
Sinner said his physio, Giacomo Naldi, applied an over-the-counter spray containing clostebol to his own skin to treat a small finger wound and then administered massages between March 5 and 13 without using gloves, according to the ITIA.
Naldi was unaware that the product he had used on his cut contained clostebol, Sinner said. Clostebol is a steroid that can be used to build muscle mass.
Sinner, who has always maintained his innocence, said the amount of clostebol found in his system was less than a billionth of a gram.
