The doping saga involving Jannik Sinner and Clostebol has not reached its conclusion, despite the initial September 9 deadline, which was believed to be the final date for any appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) or the Italian Anti-Doping Agency (NADO). The Italian agency, having reviewed the documentation provided by the autonomous Tennis Anti-Doping Tribunal, decided not to file an appeal. However, WADA requested additional documentation, effectively extending the deadline by another 21 days, and potentially even more, depending on the need for further reviews, without exceeding six weeks from the initial acquittal ruling.
The confusion surrounding the case remains high. Throughout the US Open, the global media reported that the September 9 deadline was the cut-off point for closing the case. After Sinner’s well-deserved victory at the final Grand Slam of the season, it was revealed that no definitive decision had been made regarding the case. Rewinding to March, during the Indian Wells tournament, traces of Clostebol, a banned steroid found in a healing cream called Trofodermin, were detected in Sinner’s urine. The player was acquitted on August 19 after providing evidence that he had accidentally come into contact with the substance via his physiotherapist, who had used the cream. Although there was no malice involved, the tennis player’s staff faced penalties, including the deduction of the €300,000 prize money won during the tournament.
While Sinner was allowed to compete in the US Open, the case is far from over. WADA, under Article 13.2 of the Anti-Doping Code, has requested additional documents and now has another 21 days to decide whether to appeal to CAS. If they do and CAS overturns Sinner’s acquittal, he could face a retroactive suspension, potentially losing his Grand Slam title, the prize money, and ATP points earned in New York. Although this outcome seems unlikely, it remains a possibility.
