20/07/2025

theSun on Sunday JULY 20, 2025

SPORTS 12

An uncomfortable truth Sinner, Swiatek claimed the singles titles at Wimbledon, but both tested positive for banned substances last year

BY KIERAN JACKSON

A TRADITION once discarded but now an annual convention, the iconic dance between the men’s and women’s singles champions took place at the Wimbledon Ball last Sunday night (July 13). Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek, two natural introverts, smiled and laughed their way through a shake and a twirl at the Raffles London hotel in Whitehall. It was an endearing sight. Both were well-deserved first-time champions at the All England Club in their respective finals over the weekend Sinner downed his arch rival and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, five weeks on from his French Open heart break, while Swiatek claimed the first double bagel in a Wimbledon final in 114 years. But both, inescapably, had an ele phant lurking in the corner of the ball room. Last year, to the shock of the sporting world, Sinner and Swiatek failed drug tests. Sinner twice tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid clostebol, first at the Indian Wells Masters tournament in March 2024 and then in an out-of-compe tition sample eight days later. The case was only made public four months later, prior to the US Open, when the International Tennis Integrity Agency (Itia) cleared Sinner of any wrongdoing. By February of this year, the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) entered a “case resolution agreement” with Sinner, handing him a three month suspension. Sinner accepted the offer, keen to avoid a lengthy legal battle. Wada accepted the cause, which read that Sinner’s physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi cut his finger on a scalpel and used a spray, which was “easily available over the counter in any Italian pharmacy”, containing clostebol to treat his finger. Naldi then gives Sinner a daily full-body massage and the Italian player later tested positive. As for Swiatek, the Pole accepted a one-month suspension after testing posi tive for the prohibited substance tri metazidine (TMZ) in August. It is a medication used to treat heart conditions, but Swiatek was found to have been “at the lowest end of the range for no significant fault or negligence” by

British doubles specialist Tara Moore was provisionally suspended for 19 months after testing positive for banned substances boldenone and nandrolone in 2022. The Itia, eventually, accepted her testi mony that she had eaten contaminated meat while competing in Colombia, but only in December 2023, by which point Moore had lost her ranking points and a heap of potential prize money. In a further development on Tuesday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) banned 32-year-old Moore for four years, 18 months after an independent tribunal cleared her of any wrongdoing, after upholding an Itia appeal of the ini tial “no fault or negligence” ruling regarding nandrolone. “I guess only the top players’ images matter,” Moore wrote on X last summer, after Sinner’s case became public. “I guess only the independent tribu nal’s opinion on the top players is taken as sound and right. Yet, they question them in my case. Just makes no sense.” It would be far easier to overlook the muddy waters surrounding Sinner and Swiatek in the last year. Both showed exceptional technical and athletic skill in their triumphs on the grass of SW19 in the last fortnight. And both have their integrity intact, after episodes which will no doubt have kept them awake at night. Sinner hinted as such, say

swing of tournaments after last year’s US Open. Sinner’s three-month suspension this year took place between the Australian Open in January, which he won, and the French Open in May. He was even back a day before his home tournament, the Italian Open. Neither missed a Grand Slam. As such, it was not an uncommon viewpoint that it all looked a little too convenient. Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka stated he “didn’t believe in a clean sport anymore” after news of Sinner’s three-month ban and the timing of it. World No. 4 Jessica Pegula said after Swiatek’s suspension that it “seems so hit or miss with how peo ple get punished.” Nick Kyrgios,

the Itia. It only became public in November, after the 2024 season con cluded. Swiatek explained that the positive test was caused by a contaminated sup ply of the non-prescription medication melatonin, which she uses to help with jet lag and sleep issues, provided to her by her physio. The product was contaminated during manufacturing, an investigation con cluded, resulting in an extremely low trace of TMZ. In both cases, the reason

ing has been accepted by the authoritative bodies involved. What is less digestible, for fans of the sport and vari ous sections of the locker room, is the notion of preferential treatment for two of tennis’s top players. Swiatek’s one month ban cov ered the Asian

rather more bluntly, lamented both cases, and simply posted an asterisk on X after Sinner’s Wimbledon triumph on July 13. By contrast to Sinner and Swiatek,

ing in the media theatre after his win on Sunday: “It has been everything except easy.” But there is a genuine undertone of whether they, particularly Sinner, were fortunate to be competing at Wimbledon at all. To call the length of their suspensions and the timing favourable would be an understate ment. For the winners of the most prestigious tourna ment in the world to have been shrouded in such contentious cases, in just the last 12 months, is a damaging and uncomfort able look for tennis. – The Independent

Wimbledon champions Jannik Sinner (left) and Iga Swiatek. – REUTERSPIC ‘I’m Christian Horner’s friend but here’s why Ferrari won’t hire him after Red Bull axe’

the stories from last year would be a problem. He can put on the table his record over the last 20 years. He has a very good pedigree. But one year on, they are still talking about this story. “I’m a friend of Christian Horner and sent him a message of support, and I think that he is a very good team principal. I think he’s able to do the job, but Ferrari wants to have an image and not many distractions. This is my opinion.” While Horner looks for his next role, Red Bull can’t afford to hang about. With two races to go until the summer break, new team principal Laurent Mekies must turn fortunes around immediately if he is to convince Verstappen that Milton Keynes is a better option than Mercedes at Brackley in 2026. – Express Newspapers

given that they currently sit at the bottom of the standings. However, with Vasseur’s contract expiring at the end of the year, Ferrari could attempt to lure Horner to Maranello at the third time of asking. According to Patrese, though, this is unlikely, due to allegations of inappropriate behaviour made by a female Red Bull employee in 2024. “There has been a lot of criticism of him because of their results, and they are up and down and do not have consistency,” Patrese told Prime Casino . “But after the storms and the tornadoes at Ferrari, I think the air is getting better. It looks like that, at the moment, everything is sleeping about Vasseur. The speculation has stopped. “Horner is very good, but I think that all

delivered a combined 14 World Championship titles. With the team on the decline and star driver Max Verstappen’s future uncertain, the organisation’s senior leadership decided that the time was right to make a change. This leaves Horner in a complicated position. He is unlikely to enjoy the same power or influence with another F1 team, and the 51-year old has limited options. Alpine have been tipped as a

F1

driver

FORMER Riccardo believes

Patrese

that the inappropriate behaviour allegation scandal of 2024 could be the deciding factor if Ferrari are weighing up replacing Fred Vasseur with sacked Red Bull team principal Christian Horner. The Brit was relieved of his duties by Red Bull last week after a historic 20 year run as team principal and CEO, during which he

potential landing spot, given his relationship with Flavio Briatore. They would also

be a good long term project,

Horner. – REUTERSPIC