Nick Kyrgios has condemned the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) for clearing Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner of any wrongdoing after testing positive twice for illicit substances earlier in the season.
According to the ITIA, World No.1 Sinner provided an in-competition sample at the Indian Wells Masters on March 10 which contained a small amount of a metabolite of clostebol.
A further sample, conducted eight days later out of competition, also tested positive for low levels of the same metabolite.
Clostebol is an anabolic agent prohibited at all times by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
The ITIA attributed the presence of the steroid to an inadvertent contamination from Sinner’s physiotherapist, who had used an over-the-counter spray containing clostebol when giving the tennis player a massage.
While Sinner has been cleared of any wrongdoing, he will be stripped of his results, prize money and the 400 ranking points he accumulated at Indian Wells. He was also successful in appealing his inability to compete and as such will continue with the tour.
Kyrgios took to X to express his frustration with this controversial verdict.
Ridiculous – whether it was accidental or planned. You get tested twice with a banned (steroid) substance… you should be gone for 2 years. Your performance was enhanced. Massage cream…. Yeah nice 🙄 https://t.co/13qR0F9nH2
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) August 20, 2024
“Ridiculous – whether it was accidental or planned. You get tested twice with a banned (steroid) substance… you should be gone for two years. Your performance was enhanced. Massage cream…. Yeah nice,” Kyrgios said.
In response, Sinner issued a statement on X.
— Jannik Sinner (@janniksin) August 20, 2024
“I will now put this challenging and deeply unfortunate period behind me,” the statement read.
“I will continue to do everything I can to ensure I continue to comply with the ITIA’s anti-doping programme and I have a team around me that are meticulous in their own compliance.”
Source: The Advertiser.
