Jannik Sinner’s recent case resulting in a three-month ban was “a million miles away from doping” according to a senior official at the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Sinner tested positive for the anabolic agent clostebol last year which he said had entered his system from a member of his support team through massages and sports therapy.
The men’s world number one was initially cleared by an independent tribunal after being provisionally suspended, however Wada had appealed against that decision to the court of arbitration for sport. On Saturday it was confirmed that a deal had been reached which would see Sinner banned from February 9th to May 4th, with Wada accepting the Italian player had not deliberately cheated.
“This was a case that was a million miles away from doping,” Wada’s general counsel Ross Wenzel told BBC Sport. “The scientific feedback that we received was that this could not be a case of intentional doping, including microdosing.
“When we look at these cases we try to look at them technically, operationally and we don’t do it with fear of what the public and the politicians or anyone is going to say.”
This decision has drawn criticism. The 24-time grand slam winner Novak Djokovic said: “A majority of the players that I’ve talked to in the locker room, not just in the last few days, but also in the last few months, are not happy with the way this whole process has been handled.
“A majority of the players feel like there is favouritism happening. It appears that you can almost affect the outcome if you are a top player, if you have access to the top lawyers.”
The former British number one Tim Henman said the ban was “too convenient” and warned it would leave fans with a “pretty sour taste”.
“When you’re dealing with drugs in sport it very much has to be black and white, it’s binary, it’s positive or negative, you’re banned or you’re not banned.”
As Henman inferred, the timing of the ban has also been a point of contention, with suggestions that it minimises the impact on the Italian’s career. Sinner, who defended his Australian Open title last month, will be able to play at the Italian Open, his home tournament, as it begins three days after his ban ends. This would afford him the opportunity to compete in a clay-court event before the French Open.
However, Wenzel added: “Once you’ve reached an agreement, what you can’t do is then say: ‘Oh, but we’re going to have this apply from two months in the future for a period of three months.’ It must come into effect quickly. Of course, once the deal is done, it’s important that it is executed and that it is made public for reasons of transparency.
“The sanctions that we impose and the code even says this, they’re blind to the calendar. The correct sanction should be imposed and it comes into effect when it comes into effect and it shouldn’t be modulated or modified to take into account whether the events that are coming up are significant or not significant.” – Guardian
