No. 1 Jannik Sinner tested positive for steroids but will compete in US Open after avoiding suspension
NEW YORK — Tennis star Jannik Sinner tested positive for steroids earlier this year, an international agency announced Tuesday, but he remains eligible for next week’s US Open in Queens.
That’s because Sinner, the ATP’s No. 1 player, will not be suspended after the International Tennis Integrity Agency deemed that the banned substance entered his body inadvertently.
“I will now put this challenging and deeply unfortunate period behind me,” Sinner said in a statement. “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.”
Sinner tested positive for small traces of a metabolite of clostebol during the Indian Wells Open in March, then again eight days later.
The 23-year-old Sinner appealed a provisional suspension, arguing his physiotherapist had used an over-the-counter spray containing clostebol for a cut on his own finger before giving Sinner a massage without gloves.
Sinner won that appeal this month. On Tuesday, the ITIA announced Sinner would still be docked the $325,000 in prize money, along with the 400 ranking points, that he earned by advancing to the Indian Wells semifinal.
“The ITIA carried out a thorough investigation into the circumstances leading to the positive tests with which Mr. Sinner and his representatives fully co-operated,” said Karen Moorhouse, the ITIA’s CEO. “Following that investigation, the ITIA accepted the player’s explanation.”
The ATP, meanwhile, said it was “encouraged that no fault or negligence has been found on Jannik Sinner’s part.”
Not everyone was thrilled with the ruling, however.
“Ridiculous — whether it was accidental or planned,” fellow tennis player Nick Kyrgios wrote on X. “You get tested twice with a banned (steroid) substance… you should be gone for 2 years. Your performance was enhanced. Massage cream…. Yeah nice.”
The Italian-born Sinner has won 15 singles tournaments, including the 2024 Australian Open for his first Grand Slam title.
This week, Sinner defeated Frances Tiafoe to win the Cincinnati Open in a final tuneup before the US Open, which begins Monday.
“Now, for sure, it’s important to recover, to be ready for New York,” Sinner said after the Cincinnati Open. “This is our main goal here for this U.S. swing. I’m very happy to be in a position where I am and just trying to keep going mentally, having this hunger to keep playing, and hopefully I can show some good tennis [in] New York.”
Sinner’s best finish at the US Open came in 2022, when he advanced to the quarterfinal. He was eliminated in the fourth round at last year’s tournament after a five-set battle with Alexander Zverev.
