Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner reached the semifinals of the U.S. Open despite failing two doping tests this summer.
Sinner will face England's Jack Draper on Friday night for a place in the men's singles final, the 23-year-old star bidding for a second Grand Slam title amid ongoing backlash over his qualification for this year's tournaments by the International Tennis Integrity Authority.
Sinner tested positive twice in March for a banned anabolic steroid called clostebol, a derivative of natural testosterone.
Clostebol was originally an over-the-counter spray used to treat open wounds, but the packaging bore a large warning: “Doping.”
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The spray, Trofodermin, comes with an underlined warning in Italian on the drug label inside the box, which reads: “To sports participants: non-therapeutic use of this drug constitutes doping and may lead to a positive reaction in an anti-doping test.”
Clostebol is listed on page 5 of the WADA website in the section on anabolic androgenic steroids. 24-page list of banned substancesItalian law requires that all medicines containing substances on the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) prohibited list must carry a “doping” warning printed on them.
Jannik Sinner returns a shot during the first round of the U.S. Open on August 27, 2024 in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. was suspended 80 games by MLB in 2022 after testing positive for the same drug.
On August 20, the ITIA announced that after its own investigation, it had determined that Sinner was not suspended because Clostebol had entered his system during a massage by physiotherapist Giacomo Nardi. According to Sinner, fitness trainer Umberto Ferrara had purchased Trofodermin in Italy and given it to Nardi for treatment of a cut on his finger. Nardi then treated Sinner without wearing gloves.
Clostebol is classified as a controlled substance in the United States and cannot be sold without a doctor's prescription because the US government believes it has the potential for abuse.
The decision, which remains open to appeal by WADA, means Sinner is cleared of any errors made by his physiotherapists – a decision that has already drawn criticism from some of the sport's top athletes.
Men's tennis superstars Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz have spoken out about the issue and criticised the lack of transparency.
U.S. Open champion Andre Agassi believes American tennis is ready for a Grand Slam “breakthrough” in men's singles.
Jannik Sinner of Italy hits a backhand during a match against Francis Tiafoe of the United States during the final day of the Cincinnati Open at the Lindner Family Tennis Center on August 19, 2024 in Mason, Ohio. (Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
“There's a lack of standardized, clear procedures and I understand the feelings of a lot of players wondering whether they are being treated equally,” Djokovic told reporters ahead of the U.S. Open.
“I think there's something behind this that a lot of people don't know about. I don't know about it either. Ultimately, this is a very difficult thing to talk about,” Alcaraz told reporters.
Meanwhile, Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios, who won the 2022 Australian Open but lost to Sinner at the Miami Open that same year, took a tougher stance on his former opponent's eligibility. Kyrgios said it was “ridiculous” for Sinner to give up just prize money and points, and that the Italian should not be on the court for long.
“Testing for a banned substance (steroids) twice, whether by accident or design, should get you out of the game for 2 years. Performance enhancement. Massage cream… yeah, nice,” Kyrgios wrote in a post on X on August 21.
But others defended Sinner.
Eight-time Grand Slam winner Andre Agassi defended Sinner in a recent interview with Fox News Digital.
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Jannik Sinner of Italy wipes sweat from his face between serves to Mackenzie McDonald of the United States during the first round of the U.S. Open on August 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
“If you were going to cheat to enhance your performance, you wouldn't knowingly put a billionth of a gram of something in your body. If that's your goal, you're going to benefit from performance-enhancing drugs,” Agassi said.
“If you miss three Tests or fail to show up for three Tests, as several players have experienced, there's not going to be any immediate action taken, is there? In any due process, there is always going to be silence about the matter unless the player voluntarily chooses to speak about it. And a player's ability to play while an appeal is pending is not necessarily the rule, it's the law.”
The early exits of Djokovic and Alcarez in the men's singles made Sinner the favorite to win this year's tournament. After beating 2021 U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinals on Wednesday night, Sinner became the only player in the field to win a Grand Slam title.
Draper and American Taylor Fritz are both reaching their first major semifinals, while fellow American Francis Tiafoe made it there two years ago before losing to eventual winner Alcaraz.
Sinner has reached the semifinals of all four Grand Slam tournaments and is particularly strong on hard courts, winning four titles in 2024 with a 33-2 record.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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