It has dominated the world of tennis in recent weeks, and it looks like this will also be the case for the early part of the new season.
Anti-doping procedures in the sport have been thrown into the limelight following a duo of high-profile failed drugs tests earlier this year. The first of those was men’s world No.1 Jannik Sinner who twice tested positive for the anabolic androgenic steroid clostebol. The two-time Grand Slam champion overturned his provisional suspension and was eventually cleared to continue playing after an independent panel established in line with The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) concluded that he bore no fault. It was accepted that Sinner had the substance in his system after his former physio, Giacomo Naldi, used a spray on his hand for a cut that contained the clostebol and unintentionally transferred it to him.
However, that verdict is being contested by the World Anti-Doping Agency which has filed an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) arguing that the tennis star has a degree of responsibility as he employs those in charge of making sure he complies with anti-doping rules. The date of this hearing is yet to be confirmed and it won’t be until a decision is made that the full details will be publically outlined.
More recently, Iga Swiatek served a one-month suspension (22 of those days were provisional) after testing positive for trimetazidine. The Pole provided evidence that the adverse finding was caused by a contaminated sleep medication she had been taking to treat jet lag. Furthermore, the ITIA hands less strict penalties to those who have taken contaminated medication compared to supplements because they view it to have a lower degree of risk of contamination as it is processed under EU regulation. As it currently stands, WADA will not be appealing this decision.
Both Sinner and Swiatek are free to continue playing for the foreseeable future but it has failed to cool the conversation with one of their most vocal critics, Nick kyrgios, speaking out.
“I just think that it’s been handled horrifically in our sport,” Kyrgios said ahead of his return from injury at the Brisbane International.
“Two world number ones both getting done for doping is disgusting for our sport.
“It’s a horrible look.”
The Australian has been particularly critical of Sinner and said he would have stopped working with members of his team immediately if they made him fail a drugs test. When asked if he was accusing his peer of cheating, he didn’t say yes but argue the focus should be on the facts.
“He did fail two doping tests at separate times, as well,” Kyrgios said.
“It wasn’t one after the other – they were a different time frame, so I mean, if you think that that’s the way that it got in his system, if that’s how you think it’s happened, then.
“But, I mean, if he didn’t do anything wrong, then why did they take his prize money and points away? Obviously they found something wrong with it.”
Under tennis’ anti-doping program, any violation committed by a player in connection with or arising out of an In-Competition test automatically leads to disqualification of the results and the forfeit of Prize Money at that event. Even if a player is cleared of wrongdoing, they still lose this according to TADP Article 9.1 and TADP Article 9.2.1.
The case of Max Purcell
Another person involved in a doping case is reigning US Open doubles champion Max Purcell, who has accepted a provisional suspension. The Australian says he was unaware he had an IV infusion of vitamins of more than 100ml, which is a legal limit.
Purcell was set to play in his home Grand Slam alongside Jordan Thompson who has questioned the level of consistency when it comes to punishments in the sport. Some argue that those players with a higher level of income to pay for things such as legal fees will fare better than those who can’t afford to do so.
“I don’t think he’s quite happy and neither am I to be honest,” said Thompson.
“He took too much in an IV bag – to get suspended for that when there are other people who have done far worse and sometimes just get a slap on the wrist, it’s a bit of a joke I think.
“But it’s not up to me to decide what happens. When you look at guys testing positive and then you have Max taking just too much in an IV bag, it’s a head scratcher.”
Kyrgios says Purcell’s case was different from Sinner’s and Swiatek’s as he self-reported it. According to the ITIA investigations, those two didn’t know they had a banned substance in their system until finding out via a test.
Is the ITIA treating players differently?
Even before this year, the ITIA has come under scrutiny over their handling of some cases involving players. Karen Moorehouse, who has been CEO of the organization since December 2022, has hit back at criticism during a recent interview conducted with Tennis365.
“All cases are different and each case turns on individual facts. Cases can also be quite complex, so it isn’t right to look at two headlines and draw comparisons between two cases as the detail is always the key part,” she said.
“It’s rare to find two cases that are the same they will all turn on their particular facts.”
The objective of the ITIA is to promote, encourage and safeguard the integrity of professional tennis worldwide. It is an independent body that was established in 2021 by the seven governing bodies of tennis – ATP, WTA, ITF and the four Grand Slams.
Whilst the amount of doping cases in tennis is small compared to the number of professionals, the recent controversy is making some concerned that they could be caught up in similar scenarios.
“A lot of the players I know are quite apprehensive,” former U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu recently said.
“Everything we take, we’re aware of the situation and how easily things can be contaminated. There are certain supplements that I may want to take, but I can’t take them because they’re sold over the counter and not batch tested.”
The focus on this topic will inevitably continue until at least Sinner has conducted his hearing at the CAS and the decision has been made. He has always denied any wrongdoing.
