Clostebol – this substance was detected in the body of Jannik Sinner, winner of this year's Australian Open and leader of the ATP ranking, in March 2024. “The sample provided by the Italian contained a metabolite of clostebol in low concentrations. Another sample, taken eight days later, also tested positive for the same metabolite – also in low concentrations,” the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) reported on Tuesday.
Kyrgios heard about Sinner's case and couldn't take it anymore. Other tennis players followed suit
The Italian tennis player explained that the substance entered his body through an ointment used by his masseur during the March Indian Wells. ITIA considered the tennis player's explanations credible and completely cleared him of the charges. The only punishment for the Italian will be the loss of points and prize money for participating in the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Indian Wells, where he reached the semifinals.
The tennis world reacted immediately to the news, in disbelief that the whole matter had been decided behind closed doors for half a year. “It's incredible that this wasn't revealed earlier. And not bad for the image of the players (and tennis)” – tennis journalist Jose Morgado wrote on the X portal. The scandal was immediately commented on by Jannik Sinner's rivals on the courts. “Maybe we should stop thinking we're idiots, right?” – wrote on the X portal Frenchman Lucas Pouille (151. ATP), a former player in the world's top ten.
Nick Kyrgios, who is usually very active on social media, especially since he has been constantly recovering from injuries, also did not keep quiet about the matter. “Ridiculous – regardless of whether it was accidental or planned. Testing twice for a banned (steroid) substance… you should disappear for 2 years. Your results were better. Massage cream… Nice,” the Australian wrote ironically on the X portal. He also began to discuss with fans who stood up for Jannik Sinner, arguing that the substance was accidentally ingested. “Accidentally? Do you really believe that the physiotherapist put cream on the cut that caused him to fail 2 tests for anabolic steroids?” he asked ironically.
Denis Shapovalov (105th ATP) also commented on the ITIA decision. “I can't imagine what every other player feels right now who has been banned for tainted substances,” the Canadian wrote on social media, to which the aforementioned Lucas Pouille responded. “What about the players who were banned for three missed tests and never got a positive result?” he replied. Shapovalov added in a separate post: “Different rules for different players.”
Polish fans pointed to the case of Kamil Majchrzak as an example of injustice. After receiving a positive anti-doping test, he was immediately suspended and had to fight for his innocence for several months.. He was eventually cleared of the charges, but lost his ranking and had to rebuild it from scratch.