After Jannik Sinner was acquitted of the doping charges, many players seem to have lost faith in the organization, accusing the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) of double standards. Andy Roddick joined the discussions and explained why the Australian Open was not snatched away from Sinner amidst fans’ demands.
Sinner won the Australian Open in January this year by beating Daniil Medvedev in five sets. Roddick, however, explained that there’s no way Sinner evaded doping tests as players are tested at every Grand Slam event.
There's also a lot of noise online, basically saying like, 'Woah! Take the Australian Open in January, take away his win, how could he do that? He beat my favorite player there'. Stop. You get tested at every slam. So there's no chance he was not clean at the Australian Open if he tested as much as he did.Andy Roddick said on his Served with Andy Roddick podcast
Sinner tested positive for a banned anabolic steroid called clostebol. It got into his body when his physiotherapist, who used a spray to treat a minor cut on his finger, was massaging the 23-year-old. In March this year, during and after the Indian Wells, clostebol was found in the samples Sinner submitted.
The ITIA did not reveal anything about the case until August 20th. As Sinner explained his case to an independent tribunal, the latter accepted it and as punishment, took away the prize money ($325,000) and the points (400) the Italian earned at the Indian Wells after reaching the semifinals.
Tara Moore was shocked by Jannik Sinner’s acquittal
British doubles player Tara Moore failed a drug test and, as a consequence, was suspended for 19 months. The ban was overturned, and she returned to court earlier this year after it was found out that contaminated meat was the reason for her failed test. She was shocked after Jannik Sinner was cleared of any wrongdoing without much hassle.
Why were we not treated with the same trust and respect as a higher ranked player? Why do we have to spend so much money on defending Ourselves when we barely earn anything? It has nothing personal to do against Jannik.Tara Moore wrote on X
Check her posts here:
Self esteem as a human. I spoke to a couple other players who also went through this process and we all share the same feeling: sadness. Why were we not treated with the same trust and respect as a higher ranked player? Why do we have to spend so much money on defending —>
— Tara Moore (@TaraMoore92) August 21, 2024Ourselves when we barely earn anything? It has nothing personal to do against Jannik.
We just want to understand why there is so much distrust from the players in an organisation that is supposed to be based on INTEGRITY & TRUST. It makes no sense. Something needs to change.
— Tara Moore (@TaraMoore92) August 21, 2024Amidst this doping controversy, Sinner will bid to win his second Grand Slam title at the US Open, which gets underway on August 26. Sinner, who achieved the World No. 1 ranking earlier this year, will be the top seed at Flushing Meadows.
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