Jannik Sinner doping controversy: Italian tennis federation chief drops verdict, remarks ‘Apart from a few imbeciles…’

The Court of Arbitration of Sport’s decision on Jannik Sinner’s doping investigation is still pending. The Italian tennis star was hit with a doping scandal during his victorious US Open 2024 title run. It was revealed that he had tested positive twice for an anabolic agent in March, but avoided a ban after an independent tribunal accepted his defence that the test results were affected by unintentional contamination.

But then in September, WADA appealed to the CAS for a new investigation, seeking a period of ineligibility of between one and two years.

According to the president of the Italian tennis federation, Angelo Binaghi, the case has already been won in the court of public opinion. Speaking to the Associated Press, he said, “Apart from a few imbeciles, people all around the world understand what happened. No matter what type of decision is issued, there’s no doubt that Sinner is one of the cleanest and most honest athletes in world sport.”

“We’re confident that whenever the verdict is issued, he will be completely cleared,” he added.

Sinner is currently participating at the ATP Finals, and takes on Daniil Medvedev on Friday. Sinner is the current World No. 1, the first Italian player to achieve the top ranking in the ATP standings. He has won 17 singles titles on the ATP Tour, including two Grand Slams (2024 Australian Open and 2024 US Open), and also has four Masters 1000 titles.

He finished as runners-up at the 2023 ATP Finals, and also led Italy to the 2023 Davis Cup title, its first since 1976. In 2021, he became the youngest ATP 500 champion at the 2021 Citi Open, and also won his first Masters 1000 title at the 2023 Canadian Open. At the 2024 Australian Open, he defeated Novak Djokovic in the semifinals, and then beat Medvedev in the final in a five-set thriller.