“It is incomprehensible that Sinner was acquitted by a court in this context. There is no way around the fact that Clostebol automatically carries a two to four year ban. It’s a story that stinks to death“. The German doping expert Fritz Soergel considers it “unsustainable” that the world number 1 tennis player Jannik Sinner can take part in the US Open that will start next Monday in New York despite the acquittal after two positive doping tests. At the same time Soergl, “hopes that the American anti-doping agency Usada and the boss Travis Tygart will step in” and thus be able to prevent the Italian from starting the tournament. Soergl commenting on the acquittal sentence by an independent court after having heard the version of the Italian tennis player and collected documents and information, told Sport1, “this version is not very credible, on the box (drug, ed.) it was also written that the anti-doping test would have been positive and to explain these values it is necessary that the drug be taken for a long timea few days are not enough.”
According to the ruling, Sinner tested positive on two occasions eight days apart, the first time on March 10 and the second time on the 18th. The spray containing the anabolic steroid is massaged into the skin to promote regeneration and, according to Soergl, “this is ideal because in low doses it penetrates the skin and reaches exactly the point of inflammation or injury, which means that the athlete can recover more quickly but if you do it for a few weeks, it’s simply doping“.
Clostebol-based ointments are considered doping in Germany. The professor, who teaches at the University of Duisburg-Essen, claims that using an anabolic steroid spray to treat a wound is “ridiculous”. He is referring to the fact that Sinner’s physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi used the product ‘Trofodermin’ (contains Clostebol) to treat a wound on his little finger and then massaged, without gloves, the Italian tennis player from Alto Adige between 5 and 13 March. Soergl said he has asked WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) to take action: “In my opinion the matter is not closed, Clostebol is Clostebol and Clostebol automatically leads to a disqualification of two to four years”.