No. 1 Ranked Jannik Sinner Tested Positive Twice for Steroids, Still Manages to Escape Suspension

Jannik Sinner is fresh off a title win at the Cincinnati Open and will be a dominant athlete as he sets foot into the U.S. Open. But some of his alleged antics have come to light which have been under the ITIA's radar. Sinner tested positive for a banned substance during his Indian Wells campaign and the International Tennis Integrity Agency has taken action. A suspension was also being considered, but the star-player managed to evade it.

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Jannik Sinner evades suspension despite testing positive for banned steroid twice

Top-ranked tennis player Jannik Sinner tested positive twice for a banned anabolic steroid, which dates back to March. The International Tennis Integrity Agency announced the case on Tuesday, revealing that he has been docked 400 ranking points he had earned in the tournament. He has also been stripped of the $325,000 cash prize. However, Sinner will not be suspended as the ITIA has determined that the tennis star's actions were unintentional, as the performance-enhancer entered his system from his physiotherapist's massage.

“I will now put this challenging and deeply unfortunate period behind me. I will continue to do everything I can to ensure I continue to comply with the ITIA’s anti-doping (program) and I have a team around me that are meticulous in their own compliance,” Jannik Sinner said in a statement posted on social media.

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Jannik Sinner tested positive for a metabolite of Clostebol, a prohibited anabolic steroid at the Indian Wells hard-court event in March. Sinner tested positive again eight days later in a non-competition sample. He was provisionally suspended because of the test results, but he successfully made an appeal and was allowed to continue participating on tour. The in-competition sample has forced the Italian Tennis star to forfeit the ranking points he earned and the semifinal prize money he won at the ATP hard-court event.  

Jannik Sinner is coming off a title win at the Cincinnati Open after he won in straight sets against Frances Tifaoe. He will be among the favourites at the U.S. Open, which begins in New York next week. Apart from Carlos Alcaraz, Sinner is considered the next big phenomenon in the realm of tennis.

[With AP Inputs]