Tennis players on edge after Sinner, Swiatek doping cases
The HinduAs Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek prepare for the new season after a year in which they fell foul of doping rules, positive drug tests due to contamination are a genuine fear for many of their fellow professionals. Russian former world number five Andrey Rublev echoed Raducanu’s comments, saying he was “super afraid” to ingest anything he was not absolutely sure about. “There is a clear ‘Global North’/’Global South’ divide, with disparities in education, resources and support systems, leaving many athletes more vulnerable.” Sinner was cleared of wrongdoing after he was able to satisfy doping authorities that trace amounts of the anabolic androgenic steroid clostebol in his system came from his physiotherapist during massages. LENGTHY DELAYS The speed with which Sinner and Swiatek’s cases were dealt with also cast a harsh spotlight on the anti-doping system after former world number one Simona Halep and Briton Tara Moore criticised officials for lengthy delays in their own cases. Since the ITIA began handling anti-doping in addition to anti-corruption from 2022, Sinner and Swiatek’s cases are the highest profile players to be investigated by the agency, as both were world number ones when they failed tests.