“Of course, it’s not an ideal situation before the start of a Grand Slam tournament,” he stressed.
“But deep down, I know that I did nothing wrong,” he added, recalling that he had to play “for months” with the weight of this investigation on his shoulders and in his head.
“I kept reminding myself that I really did nothing wrong. I always respect the anti-doping rules and I always will,” he insisted.
“But, obviously, it’s just a relief” to have been cleared, he added, hoping to have “a good” US Open.
Jannik Sinner tested positive for doping in March 2024 twice eight days apart: on March 10 during the Indian Wells tournament and on March 18 out of competition but just before the Miami tournament. Trace amounts of clostebol (anabolic) were found in his urine.
The Italian defended himself by explaining that he had been “contaminated by a member of his staff, who had applied an over-the-counter spray containing clostebol to his own hand to treat a small injury”, according to the International Tennis Integrity Agency (Itia), which accepted his defense and officially cleared him on Tuesday.
The player simply lost the ATP points and prize money from the tournament during which the positive test was recorded.
