WADA appeals against Jannik Sinner's verdict by ITIA, demands 'one or two years' suspension after testing positive twice for banned substance

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has appealed against the verdict of Italy’s young tennis star, Jannik Sinner. The 23-year-old is already regarded as one of the best players currently playing in men’s tennis in the singles category, along with the likes of Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz and Serbia’s Novak Djokovic.

Sinner has been in the news for the wrong reasons recently. The reigning world number one managed to narrowly escape a ban after testing positive for the banned substance clostebol in two doping tests. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), in a detailed statement, announced that they accepted the player’s counsel’s response where they claimed that the availability of the banned substance in minimal quantity in the player’s sample was because of receiving a cream from a member of the coaching staff to treat an injury.

That decision received widespread criticism from certain quarters in the tennis community, including some current and former players, who called for similar treatment for other players who have tested positive for banned substances in the past. Things are about to get a little tougher for the Italian tennis star as WADA has decided to appeal against the verdict in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

In a statement that was issued by the organisation on their official website, WADA has demanded a one or two-year suspension for Sinner and claimed that ITIA’s verdict, which found the player with ‘no fault or negligence’, was not correct. However, WADA made it clear that they are not seeking the disqualification of any result, which would mean that Sinner’s triumph at the US Open, where he defeated America’s Taylor Fritz in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 6-4, 7-5, will remain intact.

“The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) confirms that on Thursday 26 September, it lodged an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in the case of Italian tennis player, Jannik Sinner, who was found by an independent tribunal of the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) to bear no fault or negligence having twice tested positive for clostebol, a prohibited substance, in March 2024,” said the statement. “It is WADA’s view that the finding of “no fault or negligence” was not correct under the applicable rules. WADA is seeking a period of ineligibility of between one and two years. WADA is not seeking a disqualification of any results, save that which has already been imposed by the tribunal of first instance.”