Top-ranked tennis player Jannik Sinner tested positive twice for a banned anabolic steroid in March and was stripped of prize money and points earned at a tournament in California, but the newly crowned Cincinnati Open winner won’t face further suspension.
The 23-year-old tested positive for low levels of metabolite of clostebol, a banned anabolic steroid that can be used for ophthalmological and dermatological use. San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. was suspended by MLB for 80 games after testing positive for the same drug in 2022.
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Jannik Sinner of Italy hits a backhand against Andrey Rublev of Russia in the quarterfinals of the Cincinnati Open on Aug. 17, 2024, in Mason, Ohio. (Frey/TPN/Getty Images)
Eight days after the Indian Wells tournament, Sinner tested positive again in an out-of-competition sample.
But the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced on Tuesday that Sinner would not be suspended because an independent tribunal said it was not intentional. He was provisionally suspended because of those test results, but he successfully appealed and was allowed to keep competing on tour.
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Jannik Sinner plays a backhand during his match against Frances Tiafoe on the final day of the Cincinnati Open on Aug. 19, 2024, in Mason, Ohio. (Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
According to the ITIA, Sinner said he tested positive because a member of his support team used an over-the-counter spray that contained clostebol to treat a small wound.
The ITIA said it accepted Sinner’s explanation and deemed the violation not intentional.
An independent panel held a hearing on Aug. 15 and “determined a finding of No Fault or Negligence applied in the case, resulting in no period of ineligibility,” according to the ITIA.
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Jannik Sinner holds the Rookwood Cup after winning the men’s final of the Cincinnati Open on Aug. 19, 2024, in Mason, Ohio. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
The Italian won the Cincinnati Open on Monday over Frances Tiafoe and enters the U.S. Open as one of the favorites.
Sinner won his first Grand Slam title in January when he won the Australian Open. Sinner reached the semifinals at the French Open in June and the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in July.
He was unable to represent Italy in the Paris Olympic Games because he said he had tonsillitis.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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