Jannik Sinner has been cleared of any wrongdoing by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) after he tested positive for a banned substance on two separate occasions. The governing body ruled that Sinner got contaminated with clostebol, an anabolic androgenic steroid, through his physiotherapist.

“I will now put this challenging and deeply unfortunate period behind me,” Sinner wrote. “I will  continue to do everything I can to ensure I continue to comply with the  ITIA’s anti-doping programme and I have a team around me that are meticulous in their own compliance.”

Umberto Ferrara, Sinner's fitness trainer, bought Trofodermin, an over-the-counter medicine to treat his cuts, ahead of the Indian Wells Masters 1000.  Giacomo Naldi, his physiotherapist, cut his fingers with a scalpel. He applied the Trofodermin that Ferrara acquired for himself. Naldi continued to give full-body massage to Sinner during this period, and that's how the tennis player got contaminated with clostebol.

Karen Moorhouse, the ITIA’s chief executive, said: “Following that investigation, the ITIA accepted the player’s explanation as to the source of the clostebol and that the presence of the substance was not intentional. This was also accepted by the tribunal. We thank the independent tribunal for the speed and clarity of its decision in relation to the player’s degree of fault.”

Sinner will have to let go of the prize money of $325,000 he accrued at Indian Wells, where his journey ended in the semi-finals. Not only that, he is also set to lose 400 points, and that would give an opportunity to Novak Djokovic to edge past him in the ATP rankings. Sinner is set to feature in the US Open 2024, which begins in a week time.