Jannik Sinner failed two different doping tests in March for an anabolic steroid commonly found in things like eye cream or body cream. It’s quite possible that Sinner had no idea why he tested positive, and he apparently hasn’t tested positive since March. He was also essentially found not guilty of intentionally taking a banned substance.
This is where things get a little weird in tennis. Simona Halep was initially banned for four years after testing positive for a substance found in collagen. She fought for her innocence and after a year she was basically cleared of the issue. However, she was older when her positive test came back and she was no longer competing for the top ranking on the WTA tour.
Sinner is the complete opposite. How embarrassing would it have been for tennis if the top-ranked player on the ATP Tour had been banned for doping? That’s not to say that Sinner took the substance intentionally, just that few things happen in tennis without some forethought.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency had no problem jumping to the conclusion that Halep was guilty when it turned out that she wasn’t. Sinner isn’t guilty either, but tennis hid the fact that he had been provisionally suspended, tested positive twice for a banned substance, and then announced Sinner’s positive test to the world along with the fact that he hadn’t intentionally broken the rules.
Oddly enough, because this is tennis, Sinner loses the 400 ranking points he earned for Indian Wells, during which he tested positive. He also loses the $325,000 he earned from playing in the tournament. If Sinner was innocent – and he was proven to be – why is he losing money and points? That’s stupid. It also makes it seem like the sport is covering something up, which it isn’t.
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Another odd aspect is that Major League Baseball suspended Fernando Tatis Jr., a rising star in baseball, for 80 games in 2022 for taking the same substance that Sinner did. MLB is not known for overly harsh suspensions, so it seems odd that baseball would suspend Tatis and tennis wouldn’t do the same to Sinner.
Jannik Sinner was again cleared of doping charges by the ITIA. He should be allowed to continue playing. The problem is that the sport does not seem to be consistent in handing out bans, and that will become a real problem.
