Tennis is just awakening to the reality of what could be about to hit the sport.
When Jannik Sinner posted a positive doping test for Anabolic Steroid Clostebol in March 2024, Wheels started moving with a story that appears to have a decisive ending.
His case was heard by the tennis chief and reached a verdict that appears to exonerate the blame Italians.
International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) concludes that the sinner is not responsible for members of his team entering his system after the team members were transferred to him during a massage and no suspension was imposed. I’ve attached it.
It seemed to be the end of this story, but the World Anti-Doping Organization (WADA) opposed the ruling, and their cases will be heard by the Sports Arbitration Court (CAS) in April.
As revealed exclusively by Tennis365 in December, if the appeal against him is a one-year suspension from tennis, up to two years, the minimum banned offender faces.
Such a long punishment sends shockwaves through the sport, when the main voices of tennis respond with shock, informing them that a year-long suspension of the sinner is the result.
Gigi Salmon, the lead presenter of Sky Sports Tennis, was among those who thought the sinner would win a “two-month or three-month ban.” And she was surprised when she informed her that such a short period of asylum was not on the agenda.
“I can’t imagine him being banned for a year,” she was informed of what would happen from Tennis 365, so it was Salmon’s, but there’s a reason this suspension period cannot be negotiated.
If the athlete posts a positive doping test and the cause of the problem is an uncontaminated material, there is a potential prohibitive slide scale. The minimum suspension is 1 year.
The cream used by Giacomo Naldi, a former team member of the sinner, and later transferred to the world, was known to contain Clostebol, so a one-year ban would be the best result a sinner would want.
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ITIA CEO Karen Moorhouse spoke only to Tennis 365 about the crime’s case as he explained why a minimum of one year suspension would be distributed to the crime if a CAS case opposed him.
“If you test positive for a banned substance, the potential starting point for sanctions is four years,” Moorhouse told Tennis365 in an exclusive interview.
“If we can show that it’s not intentional, it will be reduced to two years. After that, if we can prove that there is no negligence, there will be no sanctions.
“In addition, a decision of ‘gross negligence or negligence’ could fall between the two years and the rebels. This is true in all cases with contaminated materials.
“The complication in the case of a sinner is that it was a positive test and not a result of a contaminated product. That’s the difference between Swiatek and Halep. There’s no contamination here.
“The products that the masseuse used with their fingers were not contaminated. That is what they said about the ingredients of the product and it is not a contaminated product, so the scope of sanctions is a one- to two-year suspension.
“The first court found that the offenders paid the utmost attention to “negligence or negligence.” Therefore, he faced no sanctions.
“My understanding from Wada’s statement is that they believe there is a factor of negligence and the outcome should have been “significant negligence or negligence.” ”
Wada has now confirmed his position in the crime case, with spokesman James Fitzgerald making their position clear.
“As mentioned in September, Wada believes that the conclusion of “negligence or negligence” is not correct according to current rules and seeks a suspension period of one to two years,” Fitzgerald told Rasampa. He spoke.
“Wada does not request cancellation of results other than those already imposed in the first example. WADA will not comment further as the issue is currently pending prior to CAS.”
A ban on sinners for a year is a great embarrassment for tennis, and the image of the world is kicked out of the sport for such a long period of time due to drug tests that have failed to leave lasting scars.
Thinner’s reputation was also a huge hit, and in April 2026 he had to return to sports without ranking points and start his career again.
The Italians hired strong lawyers who were convinced they would convince the sports court that the offenders were not at fault for failing doping tests.
However, Wada was not confident in his victory and would not have sue this much now if he was banned from performing while the criminal was suing for a pause.
It is still possible that the offender could avoid the ban, and if the parties can reach an agreement earlier, he may not even need to attend a CAS hearing.
“There is a risk of conviction, but at the same time, parties may listen from each other in these months, find a settlement agreement about what is good for both parties, and the hearing may be suspended. There is. It will not arrive until spring 2025,” he told Italian Sports Media Set.
“As already happened to me, mediation was also found during or before the hearing, and we also need to see what is included on the defense page.
“Because CAS judgments can address this issue, the witnesses and experts who the sinner used to justify various things can be heard again, but in reality the judgment is lengthy. From there, you need to understand which procedural choices the thinner lawyer is trying to adopt.”
There may be big tournaments for the Indian Wells and Miami tennis horizons, but the most important outcome of this season is the reputation of sinners and tennis, and the most important outcome of this season is the court hearing It must be something that will be held at the meeting. line.
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