Jannik Sinner, the problem changed “face” from one moment to the next: that’s why the situation became complicated.
According to the findings of the independent tribunal that investigated the case concerning Jannik Sinner’s Clostebol positivity, the world number 1 would be totally innocent. The contamination would have occurred completely unintentionally, which is why he had been cleared of any charges.
Pity only that Wada thinks otherwise and that at the headquarters of the Anti-Doping Agency it is believed, on the contrary, that some negligence or, at any rate, an application of the regulations that is not entirely correct may also lie behind his actions. The reconstruction of the facts is not disputed, that in principle is given as good. In the crosshairs, however, would be the behavior of the South Tyrolean champion, who faces, at worst, a disqualification of 1 to 2 years. To understand what behavior is under indictment, however, we need to take a step back.
We should go back, more precisely, to the day when he first saw the finger wound that his physiotherapist, Giacomo Naldi, had given him. At that juncture, as it should be, Jannik asked him what had happened and how, most importantly, he was treating the wound. The member of his team, according to the Azure’s account, reportedly did not use any medication to prompt its healing.
Sinner could have done more? The last word is up to them
Only later was it determined that Naldi, at the suggestion of athletic trainer Umberto Ferrara, had used Trofodermin, the over-the-counter drug containing Clostebol, a substance known to be prohibited for athletes.
The Wada could therefore challenge him on precisely this: the absence of control, dictated by the unconditional trust he placed in them, over the observation of certain practices. The world’s No. 1 may have sinned in naiveté, in a nutshell, which is why, although Itia does not consider him as such, he would have been negligent. Provided, of course, that the final word, on this very long-standing issue, will be up to the Tas.
The decision will not come any time soon, so it is best to put your mind at rest. It could likely take six months or more before the Court of Sports Arbitration in Lausanne makes a ruling on the matter. And it will be hellish months for Sinner, who revealed just in the past few hours how much the affair is upsetting him and how the news of the appeal has hurt and stunned him at the same time.
