Marco Bortolotti backed Jannik Sinner and responded to Nick Kyrgios and Denis Shapovalov after their harsh comments towards the world No. 1. The Italian doubles specialist defended his compatriot following the recent revelation of Sinner’s positive doping test.
As announced by the ITA and Sinner himself, the Australian Open champion tested positive twice for the banned substance clostebol in March this year. The official report indicated that the player was inadvertently contaminated by his physiotherapist, who used a healing spray containing clostebol to treat an injury on his own finger, later massaging Sinner with bare hands, leading to the contamination.
Sinner was absolved of any wrongdoing, as the amount of clostebol in his system was minimal. However, many were displeased with how the matter was handled, noting that other players, such as Simona Halep, Nicolas Jarry, and Beatriz Haddad Maia, have received lengthy suspensions for similar incidents.
"Ridiculous—whether it was accidental or planned. You get tested twice with a banned [steroid] substance… you should be gone for 2 years. Your performance was enhanced. Massage cream [the reported method of contamination]… Yeah, nice," Kyrgios commented on social media.
"Can’t imagine what every other player that got banned for contaminated substances is feeling right now," Shapovalov posted on X, while Lucas Pouille added, "What about players that got banned for 3 no-shows only and never tested positive?"
The world No. 87 in doubles criticised his colleagues for their comments on Sinner, branding them as envious: "Those like Kyrgios, Pouille, or Shapovalov who speak out of turn do so because they haven't done their research and don’t know what they’re talking about. They read a headline and speak out because they have nothing better to do or because they're envious. (Sinner) has all my solidarity and support," he told Ubi Tennis.
Bortolotti himself experienced a similar controversy at the end of 2023, with his case resolved in three months without suspension and kept private until a conclusion was reached, much like Sinner's: "No, I never stopped (playing) either. When I received the news, I was at my last tournament of the year, and by the first tournament of the following season, I was cleared," he said.
"Yes, exactly (my case wasn't made public), because first, you have to conduct all the checks and assessments. You can't just go out and say 'he tested positive' without knowing the substance involved. The player then has the right to request a counter-analysis; there is a process to follow. Only when a conclusion is reached can the case be presented,” he added.
He also expressed regret over the public scrutiny Sinner will now face due to the doping controversy: "He is a public figure, and compared to my case, many more people will know, but I believe and hope that the worst is over for him. It is really foolish: we are talking about a wound cream that doesn’t influence performance, and even in his case, they found a minimal amount (a billionth of a gram)."
Ridiculous - whether it was accidental or planned. You get tested twice with a banned (steroid) substance… you should be gone for 2 years. Your performance was enhanced. Massage cream…. Yeah nice 🙄
BREAKING: Jannik Sinner has escaped a drugs ban after a tribunal accepted that two failed tests in March were caused through contamination from a massage by his physiotherapist. A tribunal in London ruled that the world No 1 bears "no fault or negligence". thetimes.com/article/2614b8…
Can’t imagine what every other player that got banned for contaminated substances is feeling right now
What about players that got banned for 3 no shows only and never been tested positive ..
