(Reuters) – World men’s number one Jannik Sinner has been cleared of fault or negligence after failing two drug tests in March, the International Tennis Integrity Authority (ITIA) said on Tuesday.
An independent tribunal accepted Sinner’s explanation that the contamination of banned substance clostebol happened when a member of his support team applied an over-the-counter spray to treat a small wound earlier this year, the ITIA said in a statement.
“That support team member applied the spray between 5 and 13 March, during which time they also provided daily massages and sports therapy to Sinner, resulting in unknowing transdermal contamination,” they said.
The ruling is subject to appeal by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the ITIA added.
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
