Former pro cyclist Jérôme Pineau has spoken out about World No. 1 tennis player Jannik Sinner and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) agreeing to a three-month ban following two positive tests for the banned steroid Clostebol in March 2024.
The three-time Grand Slam champion tested positive once during the Indian Wells Masters 1000 tournament and again a week later. Sinner claimed that the presence of the steroid was accidental, blaming his physiotherapist, Giacomo Naldi, for using a healing spray containing Clostebol on a cut before giving Sinner massages.
Sinner said he didn’t intend to cheat
The International Tennis Integrity Agency sanctioned Sinner in August but accepted his explanation, allowing him to continue playing. WADA appealed in September, seeking a one-year ban, with a hearing scheduled for April. However, a settlement was reached on Saturday, resolving the issue.
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“WADA accepts the athlete’s explanation for the cause of the violation as outlined in the first instance decision,” a statement read. “WADA accepts thatMr. Sinner did not intend to cheat, and that his exposure to Clostebol did not provide any performance-enhancing benefit and took place without his knowledge as the result of negligence of members of his entourage.”
Pineau responds à la Pineau
“There are three things at play here. First off, the position of the athlete in relation to his sport. Since he is world number one and it is his sport itself that must not be attacked. If it is a cyclist, as number one as he is, he gets two years,” Jérôme Pineau said during the French podcast Les Grandes Gueules du Sport (The Big Mouths of Sport.) “Alberto Contador, for nano milligrams of clenbuterol, was suspended. Why? Because at the time, blood transfusions were suspected in cycling. And what about in tennis it is not possible? Can’t we make blood bags in tennis to recover after each tournament? Stop making fun of people.”
Pineau goes on to question any favouritism from the tennis world, given Sinner’s stature.
“How can you negotiate a suspension when you’re world number one? You can’t, you’re either doping or you’re not,” Pineau asks. “If there is suspicion, there are experts for that. There’s a method that lets you know what really happened because of hair analysis.”
Had Sinner been a pro cyclist,…
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