‘You should be gone for two years’ – Tennis rivals demand ban for Jannik Sinner after World No. 1 escaped punishment in steroid scandal

Top seed Jannik Sinner was embroiled in a controversy after reports of him testing positive twice for a banned anabolic steroid earlier this year surfaced. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) confirmed on Tuesday that low levels of clostebol were found in Sinner after separate tests on March 10 and March 18.

But the Italian got a clean chit as he didn't face a ban. However, he will lose his 400 ranking points and prize money he earned at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, which he competed in when he first tested positive. The decision to waive the suspension came after it was discovered that the substance entered unintentionally through a massage from his physiotherapist.   

 "ITIA today confirms that an independent tribunal convened by Sport Resolutions has ruled that Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner bears No Fault or Negligence for two Anti-Doping Rule Violations under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP)," said the agency in a statement on Tuesday.

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Nick Kyrgios and Liam Broady among those who hit out at the decision

A few of Jannik Sinner's rivals were unhappy with the ITIA's decision. Players such as Nick Kyrgios, Denis Shapovalov and Liam Broady questioned the decision not to suspend the 23-year-old from the sport. Generally, if a player is caught in such a case, he/she faces a ban of two years.

“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 wrote on X.

Meanwhile, Broady said it was not fair to hand Sinner a clean chit because other players had to wait months or years to return to the game if they are embroiled in such a controversy.

“Whether Sinner was doping or not, this is not right. Plenty of players go through the same thing and have to wait months or YEARS for their innocence to be declared. Not a good look,” Broady posted

"Can't imagine what every other player that got banned for contaminated substances is feeling right now," Shapovalov reacted.