Tennis No 1 Jannik Sinner tested for banned substance after ‘contamination by physio’

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The top-ranked men's tennis player in the world, Jannik Sinner, was found to have tested positive for a prohibited substance two times in March. However, he has now been declared innocent after showing that he was unintentionally exposed to the substance by his physiotherapist.

While competing at the Indian Wells hard court tournament in California, Sinner was found to have small amounts of a metabolite of clostebol in his system. Clostebol is a prohibited anabolic steroid that is sometimes used for eye and skin treatments. Sinner tested positive for this substance once more just eight days later in a sample taken outside of competition.

The player was temporarily banned due to the test results and had their prize money and points from Indian Wells taken away. However, they will not be given a permanent ban since a panel of experts determined that it was not done on purpose.

The 23-year-old tennis player from Italy explained that his positive test results were caused by a member of his support staff using a spray with clostebol to treat a minor wound. This staff member also gave the player massages, which led to contamination through "skin lesions" on his body.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) disclosed the incident on Tuesday for the first time and stated that they believed Sinner's explanation.

In a recent announcement, representatives for Sinner stated that after a detailed investigation, it was found that Jannik unknowingly ingested clostebol due to contamination from his physiotherapist's treatment. The physiotherapist received a product from Jannik's fitness trainer to treat a cut on their finger, which was purchased over the counter in Italy. Jannik was unaware of this situation, and the physiotherapist did not realize the product contained clostebol.

The therapist helped Jannik without wearing gloves, and this, combined with the skin sores on Jannik's body, led to an accidental contamination.

A group of experts met on 15 August to review the case and concluded that no fault or negligence was found. As a result, no disciplinary action will be taken. This information was provided by the ITIA.

Sinner stated: "I am determined to move on from this difficult and unfortunate time. I will make sure to keep following the ITIA's anti-doping rules to the best of my ability."

I work with a group of people who are very careful in following the rules.

Sinner emerged victorious at the Cincinnati Open earlier in the week and is now a top contender for the upcoming US Open in New York. In June, he claimed the top spot in the ATP rankings and is considered one of the rising stars in men's tennis, along with fellow player Carlos Alcaraz.

He emerged victorious at the Australian Open in January to claim his first ever grand slam title. Later on, he made it to the semi-finals at the French Open in June and the quarter-finals at Wimbledon in July. However, he had to skip the Paris Olympics due to a bout of tonsilitis.

Further information was gathered by the Associated Press (AP).