Tennis: the World Anti-Doping Agency requests up to two years of sanction for Janik Sinner

The Italian Janik Sinner, the number one tennis player in the ATP rankingcould be sanctioned “from one to two years” for having given positive for doping on two occasions in the month of March. The World Anti-Doping Agency (AMA) filed an appeal with the International Court of Arbitration for Sports (TAS) after the player has been acquitted by decision of the International Agency for Integrity in Tennis (ITIA).

Both times, Sinner gave clostebol positivea prohibited substance for any sport. The news takes place on the same day that the player qualified for the third round of the tournament. Beijing after beating the Russian Roman Safiullin (3-6, 6-2 and 6-3).

After the match, the 23-year-old Italian stated that he had found out about WADA’s decision “a couple of days ago”, and stated that he was “very disappointed and also surprised“Then he assured: “Maybe they just want to make sure everything was done the right way, but yeah, I’m surprised they resorted.”

Janik Sinner finds himself facing a very favorable current outlook for his young age. Beyond occupying first place in the world ranking, along with the Spanish Carlos Alcaraz the four have been distributed Grand Slam tournaments.

The decision is in the hands of the CAS

An independent tribunal had concluded in the first instance that Sinner had committed “no fault or negligence.” But the AMA indicated that this decision “is not correct with respect to the applicable rules.”

Therefore, the agency “requests a suspension period of one to two years” for the Italian tennis player, although without the results he obtained since he tested positive in the controls, including the US Open titlebe annulled.

Just before that tournament, the Italian separated from his physiotherapist Giacomo Naldisupposedly responsible for the contamination, and his physical trainer, Umberto Ferrarawho had supplied Naldi with the polluting spray.

The ITA did not hesitate to acquit him after an investigation that had begun as soon as the results were known, when Sinner alleged that the minute quantities of clostebol detected, an anabolic derived from testosterone, came from the aforementioned physiotherapist and his contaminated aerosol.

However, this first decision led to several players since then denouncing possible favorable treatment towards the 23-year-old, who was able to continue competing during the process.

Today, the decision regarding his future is in the hands of the CAS, an organization that must decide whether it is in favor of the AMA appeal or whether it ratifies the acquittal that the ITA had given him.