Jannik Sinner could face 'unfair' scar on his legacy after failed drug tests, says former player

Jannik Sinner’s year-end coronation as world No. 1 took place amid emotional scenes in Turin on Monday, but a cloud remains over the top player in men’s tennis.

Sinner tested positive for an anabolic steroid twice in March, but on August 20 an independent tribunal ruled that he was not to blame and imposed no punishment.

The tribunal accepted Sinner’s explanation that the banned substance entered his body as a result of a massage from his physiotherapist, who had used a spray containing the steroid to treat a cut on their finger.

But the World Anti-Doping Agency has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, seeking to ban the 23-year-old Italian for up to two years.

“I’m very disappointed and also surprised by the call, to be honest,” was Sinner’s reaction to the news of WADA’s call. “I didn’t expect it. Maybe they just want to make sure everything is in the right position.”

A WADA statement said: “WADA considers that the finding of ‘no fault or negligence’ was incorrect under the applicable rules.

“WADA aims for a period of exclusion of one to two years. WADA does not seek disqualification from any results other than those already imposed by the tribunal of first instance.”

Now former player Conor Niland has spoken to Tennis365 about the ongoing Sinner controversy, with the Irishman suggesting the scar of the drugs scandal will hang over the world number 1 and could tarnish his legacy in the eyes of some of his doubters.

Niland, who played in the main draw at Wimbledon and faced Novak Djokovic at the 2011 US Open, believes Sinner is embroiled in a drug scandal that is more unfortunate than suspicious.

Yet he accepts that some will question a story that has yet to be completed, with Sinner continuing his career as he awaits his fate.

“I watched Sinner get his award for being No. 1 in the world, and there’s a little bit of a question mark about WADA’s call and this year’s drug controversy,” says Niland, who is waiting to find out if his brilliant book, The Racket, will too. win the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award 2024 when the winner of the prestigious award will be announced next week.

“I think he was unlucky. I don’t think he was doping, but there must be a lot going on with him right now with this case going on.

“I saw his mother burst into tears in the crowd when he got the No. 1 award at the end of the year and I wondered if… I’m sure there’s a lot going on in the background and the wider team around Sinner. I would say this has hurt them a lot, all that noise over the past few months.

“Sinner’s story is for people who don’t follow tennis and don’t know the full story, something that people will latch onto. So we need to settle and clarify this, both for Sinner and for tennis in general.

“It will be interesting to see if it stays with him or if this is something he can move on from. Anyone involved in something like this could see their legacy tarnished.”

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The small amounts of a banned substance in Sinner’s body that resulted in the failed drug test suggest no deliberate doping violations were committed, with Niland calling for a change in the rules to prevent a recurrence.

“I think we should look at a threshold for a banned substance,” he suggested. “If it’s less than a billionth of a gram, that’s nothing to me. It’s getting to the point where you could be walking down the street and someone would wipe you down and you could be infected.

“If this is the amount we are talking about here, this is not something that should tarnish anyone’s legacy and the achievements of their career.”