The tennis world has been left staggered after news broke Jannik Sinner tested positive twice to a banned substance earlier.
This year with Nick Kyrgios and John Millman both weighing-in on the drama.
Sinner has enjoyed the best year of his young career having won the Australian Open, Indian Wells and the Cincinnati Open this week.
However, the World No.1 Italian is now facing backlash from his fellow players.
After he released a statement confirming he tested positive twice for an anabolic steroid this year ahead of Indian Wells.
Sinner has now been stripped of $US325,000 ($A482,300) prize money and 400 ranking points earned at the Masters tournament in Indian Wells following the findings.
Although an independent tribunal has deemed he won’t face a lengthy ban.
Because it was not intentional with the less than ‘one billionth of a gram’ not enough to warrant a suspension.
However, this hasn’t sat well with his fellow players who have erupted. Injured Aussie tennis star Nick Kyrgios has let rip at the situation and claimed Sinner should not be playing on the tour.
“Ridiculous – whether it was accidental or planned. You get tested twice with a banned substance … you should be gone for 2 years. Your performance was enhanced,” Kyrgios said on Platform X. Kyrgios then hit back at a follower, defending Sinner, and claimed: “Accidental? You truly believe that the physio rubbed physio cream onto a cut that made him fail 2 anabolic steroid tests. Cmon potato”.
Kyrgios wasn’t the only player frustrated with the situation. UK star Liam Broady claimed regardless of Sinner’s penalty, others players have been suspended and put through a tough time while waiting to be cleared for doping. This is in contrast to the World No.1 who has remained on the tour.
Canadian Denis Shapovalov was more frustrated with the outcome and wrote: “Different rules for different players”. While plenty of players have taken a dig at the situation, Aussie John Millman was quick to defend the Italian and took a different view to that of Kyrgios.
Millman claimed the International Tennis Federation handled this situation better than previous cases referencing Simona Halep’s recent doping saga. Millman also doubled down on the findings and claimed Sinner shouldn’t face a long ban for such a minuscule finding.
Sinner released a statement an said the steroid entered his bloodstream after it was in a spray used by his physiotherapist, Giacomo Naldi, to treat a cut on his hand. The statement claimed it had been bought over the counter in Italy a month earlier by Sinner’s fitness coach, Umberto Ferrara.
“I will now put this challenging and deeply unfortunate period behind me,” Sinner said in a statement. “I will continue to do everything I can to ensure I continue to comply with the ITIA’s anti-doping programme.I have a team around me that are meticulous in their own compliance.”
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said Sinner complied with the investigation and found Sinner’s sample as “low”. His lawyers claimed the findings amounted to “less than a billionth of a gram”.
Sinner’s Aussie coach Darren Cahill has backed the Italian having revealed the team have done everything to comply with the hearing. “We’ve been living with this for the last few months, which has been challenging and difficult, certainly for Jannik,” Cahill told ESPN. “He’s been the one who’s suffered through this the most and he’s the one who’s had to go out there and play tennis and tennis tournaments.
“So it’s been really, really difficult for him, and I take my hat off to him that he’s been able to post some of the results he has. But there are days when you can see that’s he’s physically and emotionally been challenged.” Sinner will take part in the US Open as the No.1 seed ahead of the ATP Finals this year.
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Source: Tampa Bay Times
