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Jannik
Sinner’s doping case remains unresolved as the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)
awaits the result of its appeal. Director Olivier Niggli discussed the key
element in this phase of the process while waiting for a new ruling.

The World
No. 1 tested positive twice for clostebol in March during Indian Wells. Sinner
appealed and avoided a provisional suspension, and later, the International
Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) ruled that he had committed “no fault or
negligence.”

WADA targets Sinner’s team responsibility

Sinner was
exposed to clostebol due to the actions of a team member. His physiotherapist
treated cuts on his hands with a skin cream containing clostebol shortly before
massaging Sinner. Allegedly, the lack of gloves and small cuts on Sinner’s legs
led to clostebol entering his body.

It was,
however, a minuscule amount that reportedly did not affect his performance. The
23-year-old tennis star disclosed the situation in August, shortly before
starting his US Open campaign. While it seemed Sinner could put the issue
behind him, WADA announced in October that it would appeal to the Court of
Arbitration for Sport (CAS), seeking a suspension of one to two years.

For now,
there will be no ruling until 2025, and Sinner is confirmed to compete in the
Australian Open. However, CAS is expected to deliver a new resolution in the
coming months. In recent remarks to AFP, WADA’s director general Olivier Niggli
stated that their aim is not to prove Sinner’s “guilt” but rather to
address the level of responsibility he must assume for his team’s decisions.

“Our
position is that there is still a responsibility of the athlete in relation to
his entourage. So it is this legal point that will be debated (before
CAS),” Niggli told AFP. “We do not dispute the fact that it could
have been a contamination. But we believe that the application of the rules
does not correspond to the case law.”

Niggli also
emphasized the importance of protecting athletes in such cases, particularly
their reputations. “Personally, I think that protecting an athlete’s
reputation should be our first concern. We live in a world where social media
is what it is, and this means a reputation can go up in smoke in a very, very
short time.”