Jannik Sinner, the world number one and the ATP Masters 1000 champion in Cincinnati this Sunday (his fifth title of the season), tested positive twice in March for the banned substance clostebol and was twice preventively suspended from tennis without any knowledge. The current world number one has always managed to appeal the suspensions in court, and no such suspension or appeal has ever been made public.
The Italian managed to prove in an independent court that he was infected and did not intend to dope, and the case was only made public on Tuesday, the eve of the US Open, but after the Italian had made a positive decision.
And the case was only made public on Tuesday, the eve of the US Open, after the Masters 1000 tournament in Cincinnati, which Sinner won, but after the Italian made a positive decision.
Sinner has been competing normally for the past few months, having lifted his suspension, while fighting in court to prove his innocence, but it hasn’t had much of an impact on his career. The transalpine player proved to the court that he was infected by his physiotherapist, who used the product for personal use. It was the product residue that ended up in the physiotherapist’s hands that eventually took him to number one in the ATP rankings.
Jannik Sinner will still lose all points (400) and prize money ($320,000) related to the Indian Wells tournament, and this will be the only practical consequence for him, which does not affect (in the slightest) his leadership in the world rankings for now.