"We are totally external and independent": ATP chief remains quiet on Jannik Sinner's doping case ahead of Finals in Turin

ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi has decided not to speak about a doping case regarding the world number one Jannik Turin, Italy, where top eight players will participate to showcase their talent and secure the ultimate prize.

One of the top players in the upcoming mega-event will be Italy’s Sinner. The reigning world number one has been in sublime form this year but has remained in the news for wrong reasons as well. The 23-year-old, who is already regarded as one of the best players currently playing in men’s tennis in the singles category, was tested positive in two doping tests for banned substance Clostebol.

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Despite testing positive twice, Sinner managed to escape any ban as 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 the player’s sample was because of receiving cream as a part of a treatment for an injury. The case once again gathered attraction as the World Anti-Doping Agency announced that they have lodged an appeal in front of the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) against the judgement of ITIA and demanded a two year suspension of Sinner.

ATP’s chief Gaudenzi has been recently quoted in a report where he refused to commit on the development, claiming that ATP remains an ‘independent’ body. "I would prefer not to answer, there is an ongoing case that has been brought to the CAS. We are totally external and independent, I cannot add any further comments,” he said.

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Sinner, who finished last year as the runner-up in the ATP Finals after losing to Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in the final in straight sets, is placed in the Ilie Nastase Group with the likes of Russia’s Daniil Medvedev, America’s Taylor Fritz and Australia’s Alex de Minaur.