Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek both tested positive for a banned substance and faced suspension, but the processes have raised questions among fans worldwide.
Sinner was the first of the two to test positive for a banned substance. The Italian player had a positive result at the 2024 Indian Wells Open. He was cleared of wrongdoing by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), but the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) later appealed the case.
Eventually, Sinner agreed to a three-month suspension after reaching an agreement with WADA. The ATP World No. 1 is currently out of action and is expected to return at the Italian Open in Rome.
Conversely, Swiatek received a one-month ban from the ITIA. She missed tournaments in Asia but made a brief return for the WTA Finals and the Billie Jean King Cup Finals before completing her suspension.
Throughout most of these situations, fans were unaware of the positive tests. Swiatek stated that her absence from tournaments was for various reasons, even as she was provisionally suspended.
The ITIA has faced criticism for its practices, yet its CEO, Karen Moorhouse, stands firmly by the processes. She explained that many fans mistakenly believed the ITIA was responsible for announcing positive tests, when their duty was to announce provisional suspensions. Since both Sinner and Swiatek appealed their cases successfully, the situations went public only later.
“It was mistakenly believed that we were announcing positive tests, when, in reality, we were announcing provisional suspensions.”
“In both the case of Sinner – and in that of Swiatek – the rules were respected. The players filed an appeal against the provisional suspension within the 10-day period provided for by our regulations and, since the appeal was successful, the provisional suspensions were not made public.”
Moorhouse also compared tennis to other sports, noting the ten-day appeal rule currently in place and hinting it could change in the future.
“Some sports, such as athletics, decide to immediately announce provisional suspensions. Others, especially team sports, never announce them. Tennis, for now, has given itself the ten-day rule; we’ll see if this rule changes in the future.”
The ITIA CEO was asked about the lack of action against Giacomo Naldi and Umberto Ferrara, who were part of Sinner’s team and involved in the contamination. Moorhouse clarified that they were not punished since their actions weren’t deemed intentional.
“There was no justification for prosecuting any member of his entourage because the assumption, namely the intentionality of taking doping substances, was missing.”
