The clock is ticking for any potential appeals in the case that cleared U.S. Open champion Jannik Sinner of doping charges.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and Nado Italia, Italy's anti-doping authority, have just a few days remaining to challenge the decision made by the International Tennis Integrity Agency on Aug. 20.
The 21-day window to file an appeal, which began when the decision was issued, is nearing its end. Any appeal would be directed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, based in Switzerland.
Sinner tested positive for an anabolic steroid twice in March but was not suspended. The ITIA concluded that the banned substance entered his system unintentionally through a massage administered by his physiotherapist.
The doping case was kept secret until last month’s announcement, and the top-ranked Sinner went on to defeat Taylor Fritz in the U.S. Open final on Sunday.
An appeal could jeopardize his U.S. Open title, but Sinner and his legal team have provided detailed scientific evidence to support the credibility of his explanation.
Sinner said after winning his second Grand Slam title that the months before his case was resolved were challenging.
"It was very difficult for me to enjoy at certain moments,” he said. "So whoever knows me well, they know that something was wrong. But during this tournament, I slowly started to feel more like myself again.”
While other players have expressed concern over how Sinner's case was handled, WADA and Nado Italia are likely focused on the scientific details.
A verdict from CAS could come swiftly – possibly within a few months – if the parties cooperate, similar to the timeline in another high-profile doping case involving Maria Sharapova.
Sharapova tested positive for meldonium at the Australian Open in January 2016. She was banned for two years in June that year by the International Tennis Federation. The Russian star appealed to CAS, had a hearing in New York that September, and received a verdict reducing her ban to 15 months within four weeks.
The entire process for Sharapova with CAS took just four months – much shorter than most doping cases, which typically last about a year. The timeline can be delayed by the complexities of selecting a judging panel, finding a hearing date, and exchanging documents and evidence from expert witnesses.
During the Indian Wells hard-court event in March, Sinner tested positive for low levels of Clostebol, a banned anabolic steroid. He tested positive again eight days later in an out-of-competition sample.
He was provisionally suspended twice by the tennis integrity body due to these results but successfully appealed each time to an independent tribunal judge, allowing him to continue competing.
Sinner attributed the positive tests to his fitness trainer purchasing an over-the-counter spray called Trofodermin in Italy, which contained Clostebol. The trainer gave it to Sinner’s physiotherapist to treat a cut, and the physiotherapist then treated Sinner without wearing gloves.
The ITIA accepted Sinner’s explanation after 10 interviews with the player and his entourage, and the independent panel agreed at a hearing on Aug. 15.
Sinner later announced that he had dismissed his two trainers.
While some players questioned whether Sinner received special treatment, most believed he was not intentionally doping.
"You can understand why people are upset about it. In anti-doping, it sounds so ridiculous,” said Travis Tygart, CEO of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which was not involved in the case. "But the science is such that, if the facts are actually proven out, it is actually plausible.”
If Sinner were to lose an appeal to CAS, he would likely face a maximum ban of two years instead of four. Four-year bans are typically reserved for athletes who cannot demonstrate their positive test was unintentional.
Sinner provided a clear explanation to an independent tribunal in London, which adjudicates cases brought by the tennis integrity body.
Any potential ban would likely be backdated to March.
Neither WADA nor Nado Italia typically announce appeals, so it would likely be up to CAS to communicate if a case is brought before the sports court.
Additionally, Giovanni Fontana, an Italian lawyer with experience in about 100 doping cases over 30 years, recently told The Associated Press that Sinner's two trainers could face a separate inquiry in Italy. He pointed to a four-year suspension in 2018 for a club doctor at an Italian soccer team who administered Trofodermin to a player.
