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Time of India
4 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Jannik Sinner clostebol controversy: What is this drug and why are some tennis fans angry
Jannik Sinner has just lived out the kind of script Hollywood might reject for being too on the nose: young prodigy, doping cloud, short ban, glorious return, and finally, the crown jewel — a Wimbledon title on the hallowed grass of Centre Court. He didn't just beat Carlos Alcaraz in the final; he beat Novak Djokovic in the semis — the man who's made a second career out of destroying generational dreams. And yet, for many watching, the taste is bittersweet. Because running parallel to the fairytale is the quiet but persistent question: what about the drugs? No, not syringes-in-the-locker-room kind of drugs. Just a whisper of Clostebol — a name that sounds more like a cough syrup than a career-altering compound. But in sport, as in politics, it's not the crime; it's the chemical. So, what on earth is Clostebol? Clostebol is a synthetic anabolic steroid, essentially a Frankenstein cousin of testosterone with just enough bite to help muscle recovery, but not enough to turn you into Ivan Drago. Think of it as the steroid equivalent of a smart casual dress code: won't win you a bodybuilding contest, but may give you an edge in a five-set war of attrition. It's often used in topical creams in parts of Europe to treat wounds, ulcers, and skin abrasions. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Đây có thể là thời điểm tốt nhất để giao dịch vàng trong 5 năm qua IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo In Italy, Trofodermin — a clostebol-based ointment — is as common as Volini is in Indian households. So yes, it's medically legitimate. But in sports? Completely banned. No exceptions. Not even for a scraped shin or your physio's poor hygiene. The Sinner saga: Contamination, conviction, and comeback Sinner tested positive for Clostebol in March 2024 — twice, in fact. But not in your usual doping scandal fashion. According to his team, the steroid didn't come from pills or injections, but from his physiotherapist's cut finger. Yes, really. Apparently, the physio had been using a clostebol-laced cream on himself and then massaged Sinner's legs without gloves. Nine days of leg massages later, the world's top-ranked player had enough trace amounts in his system to show up on a drug test. Microscopic levels — picograms. A trillionth of a gram. You'd find more chemical residue in a municipal swimming pool. Anti-doping authorities believed the explanation. Sort of. They ruled he bore no significant fault, stripped him of his Indian Wells prize money, and then quietly negotiated a three-month suspension — a sort of sporting house arrest. Sinner took the ban, did the time, and returned just in time to storm through the clay and grass seasons. Now he's Wimbledon champion. The ghosts of tennis past: Enter Agassi, with meth If all this sounds surreal, remember: tennis has been here before. In the late 1990s, Andre Agassi tested positive for methamphetamine — yes, the same stuff that fuels Breaking Bad plotlines. He blamed it on a spiked soda from his assistant 'Slim' (yes, really), and the ATP, in a fit of convenient bureaucracy, accepted the excuse and buried the result. It didn't come out until Agassi admitted it in his 2009 memoir, Open, turning a potentially career-ending scandal into a literary redemption arc. Sinner's case isn't nearly as dramatic — no crystal meth, no faux-cocaine denial — but the echoes are unmistakable. Tennis has always had a peculiar relationship with drug use. It forgives quietly, forgets efficiently, and moves on gracefully — preferably in white. Why fans are divided To Sinner's supporters, this is a non-story. A nothingburger served cold. He didn't cheat, didn't inject, didn't knowingly dope. He explained, he cooperated, he accepted a suspension. Move on. But to critics, the issue isn't what Sinner did — it's what the system allows. A three-month slap on the wrist for a banned substance, a return timed perfectly for the Grand Slams, and now a standing ovation at Wimbledon. If the same had happened to a lower-ranked player, would the outcome have been so lenient? If the banned substance had been found in, say, an Eastern European wild card, would the public discourse be so forgiving? And most damning of all: if Novak Djokovic had tested positive for clostebol, would anyone believe the 'accidental cream contamination' narrative? The larger dilemma: Intent vs presence Anti-doping rules are built on strict liability — you're responsible for what's in your body, regardless of intent. But elite sport often muddies the water. Intent becomes a legal grey zone, contamination becomes plausible deniability, and reputation often sways judgment more than science. Clostebol, by itself, won't make you a Grand Slam champion. But it might help you recover a little faster, push a little harder, get through that fifth set with a bit more gas in the tank. And in a sport where margins are everything — a foot fault here, a net cord there — that matters. So, is Sinner's Wimbledon win tainted? Officially? No. He served his time. He's clean. He's earned it. Culturally? That's trickier. This is tennis, after all — a sport that prizes elegance, tradition, and the illusion of perfection. A grass court is sacred. A champion is supposed to be not just victorious, but virtuous. Sinner's win may be legitimate, but for some fans, it's no longer immaculate. And in the end, perhaps that's the true cost of Clostebol — not the suspension, not the missed points, but the asterisk some will always see, even if it's written in invisible ink. Wimbledon 2025 may have a new king. But the crown, as always, weighs heavy — especially when there's steroid cream on the throne.
Hindustan Times
7 days ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Jannik Sinner was facing a WADA suspension months ago. Now, he plays his first Wimbledon final
Jannik Sinner, World No 1, will play his first Wimbledon final on Sunday. The 23-year-old will take on Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz after dominating Novak Djokovic in the semi-final on Friday. Sinner and Alcaraz are the undisputed new kings of men's tennis, claiming the past six majors between them. Italy's Jannik Sinner celebrates after victory over Serbia's Novak Djokovic(AFP) However, Sinner's recent journey has been quite dramatic. The Italian escaped a potential WADA ban back in 2024. He tested positive for clostebol, a performance-enhancing anabolic steroid, twice in March 2024 during and after the Indian Wells tournament. The case, undisclosed for months, drew scrutiny from players like Nick Kyrgios and Tara Moore, who questioned why Sinner continued competing and whether top players receive preferential treatment. Sinner accepted a three-month ban from WADA to resolve the matter, avoiding a prolonged legal battle. He said: 'This issue lingered for nearly a year, with a resolution possibly delayed until year's end. I acknowledge my team's responsibility and respect WADA's strict rules to protect tennis. I've accepted their three-month sanction offer to settle this," What is Clostebol? Clostebol is an anabolic steroid found in over-the-counter ointments like Trofodermin, used in Italy for cuts and scrapes. It's banned due to its performance-enhancing potential, as seen in cases like baseball's Fernando Tatis Jr, who faced an 80-game MLB suspension in 2022. Sinner's explanation Sinner's legal team attributed the positive tests to inadvertent contamination from his physiotherapist, Giacomo Naldi, who used Trofodermin spray for a finger cut during Indian Wells. Naldi, treating Sinner's psoriasiform dermatitis (causing skin lesions), performed daily massages without gloves, likely transferring clostebol. Timeline of Events February 12, 2024: Sinner's fitness coach, Umberto Ferrara, purchases Trofodermin in Bologna. March 3: Naldi cuts his finger on a scalpel, later using Trofodermin from March 5–13. March 5–13: Naldi massages Sinner daily, handling his skin lesions and ankle injury, without washing hands after applying the spray. March 10: Sinner's urine samples at Indian Wells test positive for clostebol. March 18: An out-of-competition sample tests positive. April 4–17: Sinner is notified of the violations, successfully appeals provisional suspensions. May 30: ITIA charges Sinner with doping violations. June 19: Sinner's team submits explanations. August 20: An independent tribunal clears Sinner, finding no fault. Why was Sinner allowed to compete? Sinner faced provisional suspensions but appealed immediately, with bans lifted within days. The ITIA's investigation, including 10 interviews and three expert opinions, supported his contamination claim. Jannik Sinner forfeited $325,000 in Indian Wells prize money and 400 ranking points due to the in-tournament positive test, but faced no ban initially. WADA appealed the ITIA's ruling to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, arguing Sinner was responsible for his team, leading to his acceptance of the three-month ban.
New York Times
04-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Umberto Ferrara, Jannik Sinner's trainer during doping case, says he warned of clostebol risks
Jannik Sinner's former trainer has said that he was 'completely aware' of the risk of contamination from the healing spray at the center of the world No. 1's positive doping tests and subsequent three-month ban from tennis. Umberto Ferrara, who is now working with Sinner's compatriot, Matteo Berrettini, said that he has been using Trofodermin — an over-the-counter spray which is readily available in Italy and which contains the anabolic steroid clostebol — 'for years,' in order to manage a chronic condition. He brought it to last year's Indian Wells tournament in California for that reason and advised Sinner's physio, Giacomo Naldi, of the risks of using it on his person. Advertisement 'I very clearly communicated to Naldi both the nature of the product, and the fact that it must not come into contact with Jannik for any reason,' Ferrara said in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport. The Athletic contacted Naldi for comment via text message. Sinner, who will not return to tennis until May, fired Ferrara and Naldi last summer, three days after it was announced that an independent tribunal convened by tennis integrity authorities had found that Sinner bore 'no fault or negligence' for his two positive tests. Later, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed that decision but did not dispute that Sinner had not intentionally doped. WADA's and Sinner's legal teams reached a case resolution agreement for a three-month ban in February. 'I'm not feeling that confident to continue with them,' Sinner said of the pair during a news conference ahead of last year's U.S. Open, which he won. He also won the Australian Open in January, his second title there and his third Grand Slam overall. Sinner twice tested positive for clostebol, once in-competition at Indian Wells on March 10, and once out of competition just over a week later. He was provisionally suspended from tennis after both positive tests but successfully appealed those suspensions after explaining that they were the result of contamination from Naldi's sports massages. Sinner was therefore allowed to play without his positive tests becoming public, per the tennis anti-doping regulations set out by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA). Ferrara added to Gazzetta that the incident had led to him suffering 'grave damage' to his professional and personal reputation. Explaining how Naldi ended up using the spray on Sinner, Ferrara said: 'I suggested that he use it because he had a cut on his finger that wasn't healing and was affecting his work. I only allowed it to be used in my personal bathroom. 'Naldi did not deny being told about it, but he said he did not remember.' Upon news of Sinner's positive test, Ferrara said his reaction was one of 'disbelief and astonishment.' He added: 'In a few hours, we reconstructed the steps that led to Jannik's contamination and I provided proof of purchase for the spray from a pharmacy in Bologna.' Ferrara also criticized people who, he said, 'chose to attack my character by reporting the facts and circumstances superficially, deliberately ignoring the substance of the independent tribunal's decision.' Sinner has been suspended from tennis since February 9. He will return at the Italian Open in Rome in early May. (Top photo of Giacomo Naldi, Jannik Sinner and Umberto Ferrara with the Australian Open trophy: Andy Cheung / Getty Images)
The Independent
15-02-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
A scalpel, a spray and a skin condition: how Jannik Sinner explained doping contamination
Jannik Sinner has finally brought an end to his doping saga by accepting a three-month ban offered by the World Anti-Doping Agency. The 23-year-old, who is the men's No 1-ranked tennis player and won the Australian Open in January, twice tested positive for a banned anabolic steroid last year. It's a case that no one knew about for months and one that drew all sorts of questions and criticism from other players who wondered whether there was a double standard at play because of Sinner's success, were confused about why it was all kept under wraps, and wanted to know why Sinner was allowed to keep competing before there was a resolution. 'This case had been hanging over me for nearly a year and the process still had a long time to run with a decision maybe only at the end of the year,' Sinner said in a statement. 'I have always accepted that I am responsible for my team and realise Wada's strict rules are an important protection for the sport I love. On that basis I have accepted Wada's offer to resolve these proceedings on the basis of a three-month sanction.' What is clostebol, the drug Sinner tested positive for? Clostebol is an anabolic steroid that can be found in ointments and sprays sold over the counter in some countries, such as Italy, and is used to treat cuts or scrapes. It is considered a performance enhancer, and several athletes in various sports have been suspended after testing positive; one high-profile example was baseball star Fernando Tatis Jr, who received an 80-game ban from Major League Baseball in 2022. Sinner submitted a urine sample showing traces of clostebol during the Indian Wells tournament in California in March; an out-of-competition sample eight days later also tested positive. How did Sinner explain away the positive test results? Sinner's lawyers said that his fitness trainer purchased a spray 'easily available over the counter in any Italian pharmacy' which was given to the player's physiotherapist, Giocomo Naldi to help treat a minor cut on the physio's finger. Naldi regularly massaged Sinner during the Indian Wells tournament, without wearing gloves. Sinner's lawyers claimed that because the player had 'various skin lesions' on his body due to a skin condition called psoriasiform dermatitis, the spray – which contained clostebol – must have passed from the physio's hands through to Sinner and caused the 'inadvertent contamination'. 12 February 2024: Sinner's fitness coach, Umberto Ferrara, buys a spray used on cuts, branded Trofodermin, in a pharmacy in Bologna, Italy. 3 March: Physiotherapist Naldi cuts the little finger on his left hand while reaching into his treatment bag, nicking it on the scalpel he uses to treat calluses on players' feet. He bandages the cut for two days. Witnesses provide discrepancies on exactly where and when the cut occurred but agree it was caused by the scalpel in the bag on 3 March. Later that evening, Sinner asks about the bandaged finger during a session with Naldi. Naldi explains the cut and says that he has not treated it with anything. 5 March: Naldi removes his bandage and Ferrara recommends he use the Trofodermin spray for its healing qualities. Naldi does not check the contents, which include the banned substance clostebol. Naldi applies the substance to the small wound on his finger every morning for nine days, in the ensuite bathroom in the villa where they are staying in California. 5-13 March: Naldi gives Sinner a daily full-body massage using oils, and without wearing gloves, lasting an hour to an hour and a half. Naldi also performs foot exercises to assist with an ankle injury. The times of day vary. 10 March: Naldi applies two sprays of Trofodermin to his finger in the morning. He treats Sinner's feet and ankle, where the player's skin condition – psoriasiform dermatitis – has previously caused itching, leading to scratching and small cuts and sores. Naldi cannot remember if he washed his hands between applying spray to his finger and massaging Sinner. That evening, after beating German player Jan-Lennard Struff in straight sets, Sinner submits two urine samples (primary and corroborative) at Indian Wells, which both test positive for clostebol. 16 March: Sinner is beaten by Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals of Indian Wells. 18 March: Another urine sample provided by Sinner, ahead of the Miami Open, tests positive for clostebol. 4 April: Sinner is formally notified of an adverse analytical finding (AAF) and the automatic provisional suspension is triggered. Sinner responds – on the same day – with an urgent application for the suspension to be lifted. His provisional ban is lifted the next day. 17 April: Sinner is notified of the second AAF. He responds with another urgent application for the automatic provisional ban to be lifted, and his application is upheld. 30 May: The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) charges Sinner with anti-doping rule violations. 19 June: Sinner's legal team submits detailed explanations of the AAF. 20 August: ITIA reveals the case and its findings, announcing Sinner has been cleared of wrongdoing. Why was Sinner allowed to continue competing? Sinner was provisionally suspended for the two positive results but he appealed against those bans, saying that he was inadvertently exposed to the steroid. Sinner's appeal was submitted on the same day he was formally notified of the first adverse analytical finding (AAF), complete with a laboratory statement and written submissions from his support team. It is unclear whether he was given advanced warning of the AAF before being formally notified. The ITIA, which handles anti-doping and anti-corruption investigations for the sport, accepted his explanation. The ITIA said it conducted a 'thorough investigation' involving 'multiple in-depth interviews' with Sinner and his support team. The ITIA's investigators conducted 10 interviews in total and sought the expertise of three anti-doping experts. It then passed the case to an independent tribunal to review the details of the case. A hearing was convened at Sport Resolutions on 15 August, which found that Sinner was not negligent and not at fault. The independent tribunal consulted three scientific experts, including Professor David Cowan of King's College London, the former head of the KCL's Wada [World Anti-Doping Agency]-accredited lab. All three experts concluded that Sinner's explanation was plausible. They noted that Sinner tested for only small concentrations of clostebol. On 10 March, he tested for 121pg/mL of the substance, and on 18 March he tested for 122pg/mL. The Trofodermin spray contained 5mg/mL of clostebol acetate. Professor Cowan said: 'Even if the administration had been intentional, the minute amounts likely to have been administered would not have had ... any relevant doping, or performance-enhancing, effect upon the player.' Was he initially punished? Because one of the positive tests came during a tournament, Sinner had to forfeit $325,000 in prize money and 400 ranking points he earned by getting to the semi-finals at Indian Wells. But he was not handed any ban. What happened next? Sinner hoped that would be that, but Wada was not happy with the ITIA's ruling, and appealed against the decision for Sinner to escape sanction to the Court Arbitration for Sport, saying that even though Sinner had inadvertently been contaminated, he must take responsibility for his team's actions. In order to avoid a protracted legal battle, Sinner accepted an offer from Wada of a three-month ban. What did other players think about Sinner's case? Plenty of players hopped on social media to offer their takes on the latest high-profile doping case in tennis, a list that includes suspensions reduced on appeal for grand slam champions Maria Sharapova and Simona Halep. Nick Kyrgios, the Wimbledon runner-up in 2022, called the situation 'ridiculous' and said he thought a ban was warranted. Tennys Sandgren, a two-time quarter-finalist at the Australian Open, said Sinner's explanation for how the steroid got into his system 'does seem pretty plausible' but added: 'How this was handled really doesn't seem fair compared to other players whatsoever.' There also were those who noted that both Jenson Brooksby and Mikael Ymer were suspended for missing tests, as was Britain's Tara Moore. The 19-month suspension effectively destroyed Moore's career. 'I guess only the top players' images matter,' Moore wrote on social media. 'I guess only the independent tribunal's opinion on the top players is taken as sound and right. Yet, they question them in my case. Just makes no sense.' Chris Evert, the 18-time grand slam champion and ESPN analyst, said: 'I do think that they protect top players. By 'protecting' – they're going to keep the secret for a couple of months. They're going to keep certain things secret if you're a top player because they don't want the press, the player doesn't want the press. It's all going to come out in three months, anyway.' No, that should now be the end of the case. Wada has withdrawn its appeal to the Court of Abritration for Sport.
