Jannik Sinner‘s career has been nothing short of a roller coaster lately.
After his impressive victories at the Cincinnati Masters and the US Open, the Italian star now finds himself in the midst of a renewed doping controversy. In a shocking turn of events, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), seeking a lengthy ban on Sinner. This surprising move comes despite the ITIA ruling that had previously cleared him of all charges. As the storm around Sinner continues to brew, many in the tennis world have stepped forward with their opinions—and the latest voice in the conversation is none other than Carlos Alcaraz.
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Alcaraz engaged in an interaction with the press at the China Open as he gears up to take on Karen Khachanov in the quarterfinals. When quizzed about his opinion on Sinner’s latest troubles, Alcaraz seemed to extend his support to the Italian dynamo. He expressed his surprise over the entire matter and highlighted the impact of the entire situation on the tennis community.
Speaking at the interview, the Spaniard said, “it’s really sensitive things to Jannik and tennis in general. I mean, after everything was decide, let’s say, before Cincinnati, that the ITIA said that Jannik Sinner saying he didn’t do anything wrong, and now came again, it is open again.” Sinner tested positive twice for low levels of a metabolite of clostebol, a banned anabolic substance, during the Indian Wells tournament. However, the ruling of ITIA that came ahead of the US Open, was in Sinner’s favor.
It was found that Sinner’s physio, Giacomo Naldi, had used an over-the-counter spray containing clostebol to treat a cut on his own finger. Naldi then massaged Sinner without gloves, inadvertently passing the substance to the player’s body. But for Alcaraz, the entire episode seems to be surprising. Continuing further, he said, “I thought it was closed, anything is going to happen again, Jannik is innocent, and they saw that Jannik didn’t do anything wrong.This month I didn’t know what happen exactly. I just saw the news and it surprise me a little bit.” The 21-year-old once again emphasized the impact of the case on the sport in general.
“I don’t know how it’s going to be the next months. For sure to tennis, not a good sign.” Alcaraz’s latest remarks are also interesting because of his previous take on the entire case where he took a subtle dig at the World No. 1. Ahead of the US Open, Alcaraz said that there is a lot more to the story than is known to the public and that he believes in the idea of “clean sport.”
For the unversed, WADA took a firm stance on Sinner’s doping case, stating that the Independent Tribunal’s decision of “no fault or negligence” was improper under the applicable standards. It also sought a ban on the player for at least 1 to 2 years. But amidst the stressful times, Alcaraz is not the only player who has rallied his support to the Italian star.
Jannik Sinner has remained stoic despite the increasing troubles against him. He has expressed his innocence in the controversy and has continued to highlight that the entire episode took place accidentally and unintentionally. While he has received a great amount of backlash despite the ITIA ruling, there are some players who have expressed their support for Sinner and Mark Petchey is one of them.
Responding to WADA’s latest appeal, Petchey rallied behind Sinner. Taking to X, the former British player wrote, “Just for the record there is ZERO scandal in the Sinner case. He and his lawyers worked within the framework of what the rules are in the situation he found himself and got a decision based on the evidence presented. No conspiracy, no cover up.” He also seemed to question the entire process and the appeal. “WADA today have looked at it and decided that they want to appeal the decision based on the “no fault or negligence” was not correct under the applicable rules. This is how the law works every single day.”
