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CAS sets Sinner doping hearing for April

 World number one, Jannik Sinner’s, doping allegations will be addressed at a closed hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on April 16-17, the court announced on Friday.

The case stems from an appeal by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) after the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) cleared Sinner despite two positive tests for the banned steroid clostebol in March 2024.

The ITIA accepted Sinner’s explanation that the sub­stance entered his system through a treatment spray used by his physiotherapist to treat a cut, followed by massage and therapy.

Speaking on the eve of the Australian Open, the 23-year-old defending champion admitted the unresolved case was weighing on him. “Of course, you think about it. I would be lying if I said I had forgotten about it,” Sinner said. “It’s something I’ve been carrying for a long time.”

Jannik Sinner also stressed that he has been careful with his medication and diet. “I have always been very, very careful with everything I take, even food. If a bottle is open, I throw it away and take a new one.

Tennis authorities and players have expressed mixed feelings about the case. ATP president Andrea Gaudenzi defended the ITIA’s handling of the case. “The process has been conducted by the book and according to the rules,” Gaudenzi told Australian media, denying claims of prefer­ential treatment.

Former world number one, Novak Djokovic, while sup­porting Sinner’s statement, criticised the lack of transpar­ency. “We were kept in the dark for five months,” Djokovic said. “He got the news in April, but the announcement came in August, just before the US Open. The ATP hasn’t explained why this case was kept from the public.

While Sinner awaits the hearing in April, he continues to fight on the court, determined to prove his innocence and focus on his career. –Insidethegames.biz

 

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