Jannik Sinner doping hearing in Sports Court fixed for April

The Lausanne-based body said on Friday that world number one player Jannik Sinner will be heard on doping charges in the Court of Arbitration for Sport on April 16-17. Sinner was acquitted by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) after he tested positive twice for the banned steroid clostebol in March last year, following which the World Anti-Doping Agency appealed. “Neither party requested a public hearing and it will be held behind closed doors,” CAS said in a statement. The ITIA accepted the defending Australian Open champion Sinner's explanation that the drug got into his system when his physio used a spray containing it to treat a cut, then provided the player with massage and sports therapy.

On the eve of the Australian Open, when the 23-year-old was asked if he knew when the decision would come, he said, “I know as much as you guys know.

“We are in a stage where we don't know a lot of things.”

Sinner, who faced a tough first-round test against Chilean big-hit Nicolas Jarry at Melbourne Park, admitted the scandal continued to play on his mind.

He said, “Sure, you think about it.” “I would be lying if I told you I had forgotten.

“It's something that I've had for a long time. But it is the way it is. I'm here trying to prepare for a Grand Slam. Let's see how it goes.”

Sinner said he has always been “very, very careful about what medications I take, even what I eat”.

“When the bottle is open, I throw it away and get a new one,” he said.

“In my mind I know exactly what happened, and that's how I block (out) it.

“I haven't done anything wrong, that's why I'm still here. That's why I'm still playing.”

ATP president Andrea Gaudenzi has insisted that Sinner's case was “conducted according to the books”.

“I really believe there's a lot of misinformation out there, which is unfortunate,” Gaudenzi told the Australian Associated Press in a recent interview.

“I am 100 per cent sure that no preferential treatment has been given. This process has been carried out by ITIA as per the rules and in accordance with the rules.”

Former world number one Novak Djokovic said he believed Sinner when he said his positive test was due to contamination, but the 24-time Grand Slam winner insisted players were “kept in the dark” throughout the process. .

“Like other players, I'm really disappointed that we were kept in the dark for five months,” Djokovic said.

“He (Papi) got the news (of testing positive) in April and the announcement didn't come until August, just before the US Open.

“The ATP hasn't really talked in depth about why they kept that matter away from the public.”