Testing positive for clostebol twice in March 2024, Jannik Sinner was cleared after pleading involuntary contamination by a member of his staff. A photo of the Italian’s physiotherapist resurfaced this Tuesday, lending credence to the player’s defense.
Giacomo Naldi, Jannik Sinner’s physiotherapist, had a bandage on his finger on the sidelines of the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells. This lends credence to the defense of the world number one, who was cleared by an independent tribunal after testing positive for clostebol twice in March 2024, a substance with which he was unintentionally contaminated, as announced on Tuesday by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).
During the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells, the Italian player tested positive for this anabolic steroid derived from testosterone, banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), “at low levels” before testing positive again ten days later, the body detailed in a press release. These positive tests had not been made public during the investigation.
“ITIA accepted the player’s explanation”
Following the investigation, an independent tribunal concluded that Jannik Sinner “had committed no fault or negligence,” according to the ITIA. The person concerned explained “that the substance had entered his body following contamination by a member of his staff, who had applied an over-the-counter spray containing clostebol to his own hand to treat a small wound,” the agency added. This member of Sinner’s staff had given him massages during this period, which explained the contamination, according to the agency.
It was therefore Giacomo Naldi who allegedly used Trofodermin to treat his small injury to his left hand and who allegedly transmitted this low dose of clostebol by massaging the player. “Following this investigation, the ITIA accepted the player’s explanation as to the source of the clostebol and acknowledged that the presence of the substance was not intentional. This was also accepted by the court,” ITIA chief executive Karen Moorhouse said in the statement.
If the player, who stopped in the semi-finals of the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells, beaten by Carlos Alcaraz (1-6 6-3 6-2) the future winner, escapes a sporting suspension, the 400 points and the winnings (prize money) obtained in the Californian desert have been withdrawn from him in accordance with the anti-doping rules.
2024-08-21 11:16:13