Jannik Sinner, the case is far from closed: the Anti-Doping Agency requests a disqualification from one to two years

The sports case of the year, the one that involved the super champion Jannik Sinner in a possible doping affair, is far from closed. After his epic victory at the US Open, which thrilled fans (and earned him, among other things, a starred recipe dedicated to him), the South Tyrolean champion seemed to have left behind this summer’s storywhen – officially due to tonsillitis – he had to give up leaving for the Paris Olympics.

A short time later, it appeared in the newspapers, completely unexpectedly, the news that cast a shadow on the brilliant career of the Italian tennis player stronger than ever: Jannik Sinner had tested positive in an anti-doping test. Or rather, two consecutive checks. In particular, it had been found in his urine a very low concentration of Clostebol (an anabolic steroid). (less than one billionth of a gram), but which still made an investigation for doping necessary. To the accusations, Sinner responded that the contamination had occurred through the hands of his physiotherapistGiacomo Naldi, who before massaging Sinner without gloves had treated a wound on his hand with Trofodermin, a medicine containing Clostebol. A fortuitous and completely random transfer of substances, the result of a carelessness that had cost the physiotherapist his job and a piece of the champion’s reputation.

The appeal made by Sinner to the accusations made against him allowed the champion to continue playing (and winning), and in the meantime investigations carried out by the International Tennis Integrity Agency they had ascertained that the drug had been taken randomly and involuntarily by the sample.

Suddenly, however, a new piece is added to this story: the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has in fact appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against the acquittal of the Italian tennis player. «WADA believes that the conclusion of “no fault or negligence” (reached by the court, effectively exonerating the tennis player, ed) is not correct under the applicable rules”, said the agency in a very short statement in which it explained that, for Jannik Sinner, the position is to ask a disqualification period of between one and two years.

The press release also specifies that the request is not retroactive: the agency is not in fact asking for the disqualification of any of the results obtained by Sinner, “except what has already been imposed by the court of first instance”, which at the time of his sentence he had taken away the 400 points from the Indian Wells semi-final and the related prize money, around 300 thousand euros.