Denis Shapovalov has elaborated on his initial reaction to Jannik Sinner not being given a harsher punishment for failing two doping tests. According to Shapovalov, some players given extended suspensions for missing tests and Sinner not receiving one, don’t add up.
The Italian only served two brief suspensions, none of which were publicly announced. He was also stripped of the ranking points and prize money he earned at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
On Tuesday, August 20, reigning World No. 1 Sinner revealed that he had tested positive on two occasions for clostebol, a steroid, in March. The Italian was notified about these developments in April. However, the minimal levels of clostebol (less than a billionth of a gram) found, and Sinner proving that the steroid contamination was a result of his physio massaging him with a cut finger, which the physio had treated with a spray containing clostebol, led to the Italian escaping strict punishment.
The news has polarized the tennis fraternity, with many questioning what they perceive as different players being treated differently. Shapovalov, a former World No. 10, is one of the active players to have questioned the lack of a harsh punishment for Sinner.
On the same day the Italian issued the statement that confirmed he had been cleared of any wrongdoing by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), Shapovalov took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote:
“Different rules for different players”
“Can’t imagine what every other player that got banned for contaminated substances is feeling right now,” Shapovalov added in a separate post.
Recently, Shapovalov told Tennis Majors that his reaction to the controversial development involving Jannik Sinner had little to do with the Italian, and mostly about the apparent double standards in effect.
“Honestly, it has nothing to do with Jannik. To me, it’s just about how they handle every situation differently, depending on what player it is,” Shapovalov told Tennis Majors.
The former World No. 10 went on to further criticize the authorities, accusing them of “trying to sweep Sinner’s case under the rug”.
“It’s not right that some players have been suspended for years for contamination, and other players are able to play and they’re just trying to sweep it under the rug. There are a couple of other players who have never tested positive and missed a couple of tests, and are given an 18-month ban,” Shapovalov added.
Jannik Sinner’s coach Darren Cahill recently opened up about the Italian escaping harsh punishment for testing positive for clostebol
Jannik Sinner’s coach Darren Cahill, recently explained to ESPN how Sinner’s controversial case was resolved swiftly and without an extended suspension for the Italian. Cahill claimed that the independent tribunal knew the exact source of the steroid clostebol, which helped clear things up rapidly.
“With Jannik’s case, they knew exactly where it came from. Within five minutes, they knew this could be the only possible place that it came from. So, they were pretty quick to get the sports resolutions, to get that temporary ban lifted,” Cahill said.
Jannik Sinner is currently gearing up for the 2024 US Open, where he will be the top seed. The Italian is heading into the year’s last Major on a high, having recently won the Cincinnati Open men’s singles title.
