Sinner has been cleared of the charges of voluntary doping, but in the tennis world there are some who are sceptical about the theory of involuntary intake and the theory of the passage of the prohibited Clostebol from the hands of the physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi, who had used it to treat a wound to a finger, on the body of the world number one.
The Corriere della Sera lists the Social media statements from Nick Kyrgios, Denis Shapovalov and Lucas Pouille: “Ridiculous, whether it was accidental or planned,” Australian Kyrgios thundered on X. “If you test positive twice for a banned substance, you should be out for two years.”
Shapovalov points out the different measures adopted for other colleagues: “I can’t imagine what all the other players who have been suspended for contaminated substances are feeling right now. Different rules for different players,” writes the Canadian, supported by the Frenchman Pouille: “And what about the players who have only been suspended for three missed appearances and have never tested positive? Maybe they should stop taking us for fools.”
Foreign press doubts about Clostebol case
“Positive in March, innocent five months later: the Sinner case comes to light and raises questions”. This is what L’Equipe said about the case of the world number one Italian tennis player, which opens its website with the title ‘Sinner Affair: a late revelation and many questions’. “The Itia (International Tennis Integrity Agency), in charge of anti-doping in tennis – writes the French sports daily – announced on Tuesday that the Italian Jannik Sinner, world number 1 and recent winner of the Cincinnati Masters 1000, had tested positive twice in March for an anabolic steroid, before being declared innocent by an independent tribunal, Sports Resolution, according to which he was not at fault and had not committed any negligence”.
L’Equipe speaks of “a well-kept secret” until now. “Jannik Sinner receives anti-doping sanction after positive tests for clostebol, a banned substance,” headlines The Athletic, created on the web by the sports editorial team of the New York Times, which however keeps the news off the top. “A court following an anti-doping investigation found no ‘fault or negligence’ on the part of the Italian, we read in the online summary. Marca, a Spanish sports daily, is insinuating and ironic. ‘Invoices, a spray and accusations of preferential treatment’, this is the opening headline of the site. ‘The truth has come to light – Sinner tested positive, but will not be disqualified’. The other shoulder headline reads ‘Tennis explodes after Sinner’s double positive. Bingo!’. And inside it continues: ‘Many tennis players doubt the fairness of the court in evaluating the sanction’.