Roger Federer talks about Jannik Sinner’s controversial doping situation

Roger Federer has spoken about the situation that the world’s number one tennis player, Jannik Sinner, is going through. The Italian, at the beginning of the year, tested positive twice for clostebol.

In March, Sinner tested positive for a synthetic anabolic steroid derived from the male hormone testosterone, called clostebol. The Italian, at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells, United States, provided a sample, which tested positive for clostebol at low levels. After that, he took another test a week, which again got positive results at low levels.

Italy appealed for this position, so the International Tennis Integrity Agency intervened in an investigation. In a press releaseThe ITIA confirmed that the Italian had “no censure or negligence for two violations of the Tennis Anti-Doping Program (TADP) anti-doping rules”, so his provisional ban was revoked and he is able to continue playing.

This Tuesday, September 3, Roger Federer gave an interview to the program Today from NBC, where he assured that the situation that Sinner is going through is complicated, and something that “should not be seen in sports.” “Having these accusations and problems is the nightmare of any athlete and team because we fill out these forms all day, every day,” explained Federer.

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Sinner’s situation has raised a number of questions, as some claim that he has received favorable treatment due to his current position in the sport. “I understand the frustration of thinking whether he was treated the same way as everyone else or not,” said Federer.

A sinner said the clostebol came from contamination that a member of his support team was exposed to, who had been applying an over-the-counter spray containing clostebol. The team member was performing daily massages and sports therapy on Sinner during the time the spray was applied, which unbeknownst to anyone caused transdermal contamination.

Various scientific experts were involved in the investigation of the Sinner case, who concluded that it was a credible incident, which is why the ITAI did not oppose the lifting of the Italian temporary ban.

“I think we all trust that Jannik didn’t do anything, but the possible inconsistency that he didn’t have to sit out while they weren’t 100% sure what was happening , that is the question that needs to be answered,” said Roger Federer. . “We have to trust the process and anyone involved.”

On the other hand, Karen Moorhouse, executive director of the ITIA, assured that “they take any positive test seriously and will always apply the strict processes established by WADA.” ” “After that investigation, the ITIA accepted the player’s explanation about the origin of clostebol and that the presence of the substance was not intentional. The court was also accepted,” he said.