Sinner, Itia acquits him: ‘He did not violate anti-doping regulations’

Karen Moorhousen weighs in on the controversy surrounding the doping case involving Jannik Sinner and explains the misunderstandings surrounding the provisional suspension, defending Itia’s actions

The case related to Jannik Sinner continues to be at the center of discussions in the tennis world. Despite the closure of the Clostebol file with a three-month disqualification for the world number one, the result of an agreement with Wada, the controversy shows no sign of abating. Among the most critical is Nick Kyrgios, who has spoken of a lack of transparency on the part of tennis authorities. Responding to these accusations was Itia Director General Karen Moorhousen, who wanted to shed light on the handling of the case.

In an interview with Afp, Moorhousen said, “Perhaps the misunderstandings were created by some communication problems about the Sinner case. There was a mistaken belief that we were announcing positive tests when, in fact, we were talking about provisional suspensions. In both the Sinner case and the case concerning Iga Swiatek, the rules were followed. They appealed the provisional suspension within the stipulated period of ten days, and having been successful, the suspensions were not made public.”

Moorhousen further explained that if Itia had behaved differently, it would have violated its own rules. “In the future, this rule will probably be changed,” she added, alluding to possible changes in the communication protocols regarding interim suspension cases.

The director also clarified why former members of Sinner’s staff, such as Giacomo Naldi and Umberto Ferrara, were not punished despite their involvement in the doping case. “The offenses we are talking about involve intent to dop. In Sinner’s case, according to the attorneys we consulted, there was no justification for prosecuting any member of his staff, as there was no violation of the anti-doping rules of tennis, which echo those of the World Anti-Doping Code.”

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