World number one tennis player Jannik Sinner has been cleared of any wrongdoing after he tested positive for a doping substance earlier this year.
This season, the 23-year-old Italian won his first Grand Slam at the Australian Open and four other ATP titles.
Here’s what you need to know.
Doping test
This week, the International Tennis Integrity Association (ITIA) announced that Sinner recorded two positive tests for a banned substance at the Indian Wells tournament in California in March.
It said an independent tribunal had since ruled Sinner was not at fault.
Sinner tested positive for clostebol, a banned steroid derivative of testosterone.
Jannik Sinner’s response to doping allegations
In a statement on Sinner’s Instagram, his team argued that the prohibited substance entered the Italian player’s system accidentally.
They alleged his physiotherapist used a topical cream containing clostebol for a wound on their finger, before treating Sinner.
“Coupled with various skin lesions on Jannik’s body, [the physiotherapist] caused the inadvertent contamination,” the statement said.
Tennis world
Several former players questioned the ITIA’s decision on social media, including Australian Nick Kyrgios.
Kyrgios said: “Ridiculous — whether it was accidental or planned. You get tested twice with a banned (steroid) substance… you should be gone for two years.”
However, fellow Australian and former player John Millman said: “Before jumping to conclusions, Jannik Sinner had less than a billionth of a gram in his system… I believe him”.
Consequences
Sinner reached the semi-finals at Indian Wells. His result has now been disqualified and he’ll be stripped of his $US325,000 ($AU482,000) winnings, and the 400 ATP ranking points he earned from making the semi-final at the event.
Sinner will remain the world’s number one player heading into the U.S. Open, which starts on Monday.
