“I am disappointed to hear that WADA has chosen to appeal the ITIA ruling after independent judges had exonerated me and declared me innocent. In the last months and during this trial there have been three separate hearings that have confirmed my innocence.”
Jannik Sinner has expressed his first words on the appeal filed by WADA at the CAS in Lausanne on the Clostebol doping-issue, discovered in March during the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
Jannik Sinner, Beijing 2024© Stream screenshot
The ATP number 1 took some time before publishing a long press release to explain his position in detail.
“Several months of interviews and investigations culminated with three experts reviewing every detail through a formal hearing. They issued a thorough ruling explaining why they determined I was not at fault, with clear evidence provided and my cooperation throughout. Based on such a robust process, both the ITIA and the Italian Anti-Doping Authority accepted the explanations and waived their right to appeal. I understand that these things must be thoroughly investigated to maintain the integrity of the sport we all love. However, it is difficult to understand what will be achieved by asking a different panel of three judges to review the same facts and documents again. That said, I have nothing to hide and, as I have done all summer, I will cooperate fully with the appeal process and provide whatever may be necessary to once again prove my innocence. As the case is now awaiting adjudication at CAS, I will not comment further,” he wrote.
Jannik Sinner reacts to WADA’s appeal in a statement. pic.twitter.com/8GuXl4mE5N
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) September 28, 2024
The Italian closed the match against Roman Safiullin with the score of 3-6 6-2 6-3 and in the 3rd round of the China Open he will face Jiri Lehecka. In the press conference after the match Jannik had already commented on the WADA decision, saying he was surprised and disappointed.
“We can’t control everything. Obviously I’m very disappointed and also surprised about this appeal, to be honest, because we had three hearings. All three hearings were very positive for me. I didn’t expect that. I knew for a couple of days that they were going to appeal and that today it would become official. Maybe they just want to make sure that everything is in the right place,” he said.
Jannik Sinner says he’s surprised that WADA appealed his case, ‘I’m very disappointed & also surprised, because we had three hearings. All three hearings came out very positively for me’
“Obviously, we heard during your match about the WADA appeal. I’m just wondering, what is… pic.twitter.com/DLFXg6uGIT
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 28, 2024
Sinner also commented on his performance against Safiullin: “It was very tough. I didn’t start well. I’m happy that I found a solution in the end. It was very important. It was similar to the first round match as well. Today I struggled a bit, especially with my serve in the first set. He returned very well. He was playing very strong from the baseline. I tried to react a bit. In the second set I changed a couple of things, which helped me get into the rhythm of the match. The third set is always a bit tricky. But I’m happy with how I reacted. Of course, if I want to win the next round, I have to raise my level.”
Jannik Sinner & Roman Safiullin, Beijing 2024© Stream screenshot
WADA motivated the appeal with this official note: “The World Anti-Doping Agency confirms that it has lodged an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Thursday 26 September in the case of Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner, who was found by an independent tribunal of the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) to be free of fault or negligence for having tested positive twice for Clostebol, a prohibited substance, in March 2024. WADA believes that the finding of ‘no fault or negligence’ is not correct under the applicable rules and is therefore seeking a period of ineligibility of between 1 and 2 years. WADA is not seeking a disqualification for any result other than that already imposed by the first instance tribunal. As the matter is now pending before the CAS, WADA will not be making any further comment at this time.”
I speak for all tennis lovers when I say Jannik Sinner deserves a 2 year ban. https://t.co/VgmtFgU7pr
— SK (@Djoko_UTD) September 28, 2024
BREAKING: World Anti-Doping Agency has appealed the steroid case of top-ranked tennis player Jannik Sinner. pic.twitter.com/UEKcDibLwn
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) September 28, 2024
BREAKING: World Anti-Doping Agency has appealed the steroid case of top-ranked tennis player Jannik Sinner. pic.twitter.com/UEKcDibLwn
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) September 28, 2024