Deadline for appeal in case of acquittal of US Open winner Jannik Sinner expires

ROME – Time is running out for filing appeals in the case in which newly crowned US Open champion Jannik Sinner was acquitted of doping charges.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and Nado Italia, Italy's anti-doping agency, likely have only one day left to appeal the decision of the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced on August 20.

There is a 21-day period for appeal, starting from receipt of the decision. Any appeal is lodged with the Swiss Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Sinner tested positive for an anabolic steroid twice in March, but was not suspended because the ITIA determined that the banned performance-enhancing drug had inadvertently entered his body through a massage from his physiotherapist.

The doping case was kept secret until it was announced last month and top-seeded Sinner defeated Taylor Fritz in the US Open final on Sunday.

An appeal could jeopardize his US Open title, but Sinner and his legal team have presented detailed scientific evidence to support the credibility of his explanation.

Sinner said after winning his second Grand Slam title that the months leading up to the resolution of his case had not been easy.

“I found it very difficult to enjoy certain moments,” he said. “So those who know me better know that something was wrong. But during this tournament I slowly started to feel a little more like a human being again.”

While other actors have expressed concern about the secrecy surrounding Sinner's case, WADA and Nado Italia are likely to be interested only in the scientific details.

A ruling on the appeal to CAS could be made quickly – perhaps even within a few months – if the parties agree to cooperate. This was certainly the case in another high-profile doping case in tennis involving Maria Sharapova.

At the Australian Open in January 2016, Sharapova tested positive for the recently banned heart medication Meldonium. In June of the same year, she was banned for two years by the International Tennis Federation.

The Russian star appealed to CAS, had an appeal hearing in New York before three judges in September of the same year and received the ruling four weeks later, which reduced her ban to 15 months.

The entire proceedings against Sharapova before the CAS lasted just four months – much shorter than most doping cases, which usually take around a year. However, the timetable may be delayed due to the time involved in selecting a panel of judges, setting a hearing date and exchanging documents and evidence from experts.

During the Indian Wells hardcourt event in March, Sinner was found to have a low metabolite of clostebol, a banned anabolic steroid that can be used for ophthalmic and dermatological purposes. It is the same drug that led to San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. being suspended by MLB in 2022.

Eight days later, a sample taken outside of a competition from Sinner tested positive again.

Due to these test results, he was provisionally suspended twice by the tennis integrity organization, but he successfully appealed twice to an independent judge and was allowed to continue participating in tournaments.

Sinner said his test results came about because his fitness coach in Italy bought an over-the-counter spray called Trofodermin, which contained Clostebol, and gave it to Sinner's physical therapist to treat a cut on the physical therapist's finger. The physical therapist then treated Sinner without gloves.

The ITIA said it accepted Sinner's statement after 10 interviews with the player and those around him and that the independent panel approved the statement at a hearing on August 15.

Sinner later announced that he had fired both of his coaches.

While other players wondered if Sinner received special treatment, most believed that he was not trying to dope.

“You can understand why people are upset about this. In the anti-doping space, 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 when the facts are actually proven, it's actually plausible.”

If Sinner loses an appeal before CAS, he would likely face a maximum ban of two years instead of four. Four-year bans are usually reserved for athletes who cannot prove that their positive doping test was unintentional.

Sinner made a clear statement before an independent tribunal in London that decides on tennis integrity cases.

A possible ban would probably apply retroactively to March.

Neither WADA nor Nado Italia typically announce appeals, so it would likely be up to CAS to announce if a case is brought before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

In addition, Giovanni Fontana, an Italian lawyer who has worked on about 100 doping cases over 30 years, recently told the Associated Press that Sinner's two coaches may risk a separate investigation in Italy – citing the four-year ban of an Italian soccer team's club doctor in 2018 for giving a player trofoderine.

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Dunbar reported from Geneva. AP National Reporter Eddie Pells in Denver and AP Tennis Writer Howard Fendrich in New York contributed.

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AP Tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis