Sinner ‘honest to core’, says coach Cahill after dope test controversy

AFP | New York

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com

World number one Jannik Sinner is “honest to the core” and is an “innocent victim,” his coach Darren Cahill said after the Italian was cleared of any wrongdoing despite twice testing positive for a banned substance. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said on Tuesday that Sinner had provided an in-competition sample at the Indian Wells Masters on March 10 which contained the presence of clostebol at low levels.

A further sample, conducted eight days later out of competition, also tested positive for low levels of the same metabolite. Sinner had explained that the substance had originated from a spray, containing clostebol, that had been used by a member of his staff to treat a cut finger. The ITIA accepted the explanation and said the “presence of the substance was not intentional”.

Cahill told ESPN in a television interview that the staff member in question was physio Giacomo Naldi who had been provided the over-the-counter spray from physical trainer Umberto Ferrara. The Australian coach said it was not clear exactly how Naldi had provided the contamination to Sinner but suggested “working on the feet, a massage or whatever it may be”. Cahill said there was no question at all of Sinner seeking to gain advantage through use of a banned substance.