By Joiner Martínez
Sep 28, 2024, 7:28 PM EDT
World number one tennis player Jannik Sinner said he was “very disappointed and surprised” after the World Anti-Doping Agency decided to appeal the decision of the International Tennis Integrity Agency, which determined that there was no guilt after his two positive tests for doping.
WADA announced Saturday that it will seek to impose a one- to two-year ban on the US Open champion, but has no intention of backing off the eventual ban — which would mean Sinner could keep his second Grand Slam title if found guilty. .
The decision was announced while Sinner faced Roman Safiullin at the China Open.
“I’m obviously very disappointed and surprised by the appeal, to be honest, because we had three hearings. All three ended positively for me,” said the 23-year-old tennis player after beating Safiullin.
Sinner tested positive twice for an anabolic steroid in March, but was not banned after the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s independent tribunal determined on August 20 that he was not at fault.
They accepted the Italian tennis player’s explanation, who argued that the performance-enhancing substance entered his system unintentionally through a massage from his physical therapist, who used a spray containing the steroid to treat a cut.
WADA confirmed it filed an appeal on Thursday with the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland.
“It is WADA’s belief that the ‘no fault or negligence’ findings were not correct under the applicable rules,” WADA said in a statement. “The AMA seeks a period of ineligibility of one to two years. “The AMA does not seek to disqualify any results, except those already imposed by the court in the first instance.”
WADA suggested they did not follow the rules correctly even though lawyer Nicolas Zbinden, of the body that accepted Sinner’s version, has regularly worked on high-profile cases, including the appeal against Russian skater Kamila Valieva.
A CAS verdict could be given quickly in a few months, if the parties cooperate, as in the case of tennis player Maria Sharapova.
But there will surely be no resolution before Sinner begins the defense of his title at the Australian Open.
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