Most controversial title

Sinner’s triumph at the US Open: the skewed look remains

Jannik Sinner posing with the trophy.

(Bild: AFP/APA/ANGELA WEISS)

Jannik Sinner's second Grand Slam title is one of the most controversial. Players in similar cases have already been banned.Italy suffers from the Clostebol flood.

Jannik Sinner has made history with the first title won by an Italian at the US Open. His 6:3, 6:4, 7:5 triumph over Taylor Fritz is perhaps also the most controversial in Grand Slam history.

Compatriot banned for four years
The reason for this is Sinner's two positive doping tests for Clostebol in Indian Wells in mid-March, albeit only for an amount equivalent to "58 thousandths of a grain of salt". The 23-year-old was acquitted, but the aftertaste of unequal treatment remains. For comparison: Stefano Battaglino, also an Italian tennis player, had also stated in 2022 that Clostebol had entered his body via massage and was banned for four years. Also worrying: between 2019 and 2023, there were 38 cases of Clostebol in Italy, despite a clear warning on the drug's packaging.

Sinner had tested positive for Clostebol.

(Bild: AFP/2024 Getty Images)

It is clear that a core provision of anti-doping law is that an athlete is responsible for what they take themselves or via a team member. Even if, like Sinner, you can plausibly explain how the substance got into your body, you are often banned for three to six months. In the latter case, Sinner would not have been allowed to compete at the US Open.

David Müller from the National Anti-Doping Agency believes that it would have made sense for Sinner's case to be heard by the independent International Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) from the outset: "Then tennis would have been spared the conflict of interest."

Straka hopes for a visit to Vienna
Vienna's tournament director Herwig Straka also believes that the South Tyrolean was blameless for taking the money. "But some players have been punished in similar cases." In any case, he hopes that the defending champion will also play in the Stadthalle this year. Negotiations are underway.