Jannik Sinner's Case Settlement 'A Parody Of Justice' Says Naomi Osaka's Coach
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Naomi Osaka's coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, slammed how the World Anti-Doping Agency settled Jannik Sinner's doping case, saying its favorable timing for the ATP world No. 1 makes it not seem like real justice.
It is impossible to deny that Sinner's three-month ban, agreed between his team and WADA to avoid the need for an appeal hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, has been timed pretty favorably for him, whether that was done deliberately or not.
Although missing four Masters 1000 tournaments from February 9th until May 4th during his suspension should not be dismissed, he will not be absent from any Grand Slams and can also play on home soil at the 2025 Italian Open.
Many have questioned the timing of Sinner's three-month ban for testing positive for a billionth of a gram of clostebol at the 2024 Indian Wells Open. Tim Henman believes it seems too convenient and looks bad for tennis.
Mouratoglou shares Henman's perspective. Speaking on Instagram, the French coach thinks Sinner avoiding the CAS appeal hearing that was scheduled for April and then an agreement being reached that is timed well for Sinner made the outcome seem like a parody.
"During the Australian Open, we learnt that Sinner will be auditioned by WADA in April, so we think it’s going to be like a real tribunal, that will assess the case and decide whether he’s guilty or not. “Right after the Australian Open, six weeks before when he was supposed to have been auditioned, they decide to take a decision after negotiating with him for a three-month ban."
"No audition, no review of the case, and a decision that is ideal for him because he could play the Australian Open – and win it – and is going to be safe to play the next Grand Slam, which is at the end of May-start of June at Roland Garros."
"So, it looks like they make an arrangement to make it look like that banned him a little bit, but not too much so he can play the Grand Slams, and, if you look at it, he’s going to be able to come back and play Rome just before Roland Garros – being Italian – so it looks even more like a set-up. It looks like a parody of justice."
Mouratoglou accused the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) of covering up Sinner's case by keeping its investigation private until clearing the Italian in August, before WADA appealed the case in October.
"When a player is controlled positive, in 100 percent of the case, it is the anti-doping [agencies] that make a public statement. As soon as this statement is out, the player is provisionally suspended, which means he is not allowed to play anymore – until the case is finished and there is a decision as to whether he is guilty to not."
"In Sinner’s case, the ITIA, which is the anti-doping [agency], have decided to cover it [up], they didn’t make it public that he has been controlled positive, they didn’t say anything [they didn’t say] that he has been suspended, provisionally, like every other player would have been. So, this is clearly a double standard."
It should be noted that players not being provisionally suspended and continuing to play during the investigation if the source of contamination is found within 10 days, which Sinner's team did, is in the rules, which might indicate the ITIA was not covering anything up.
While Mouratoglou is unimpressed by the case's process, he thinks Sinner is innocent of deliberately doping, as WADA and the ITIA have both found, because of the tiny amount of clostebol that was in his system.
“It’s very unlikely he [purposefully] did doping, first of all – and this is a personal statement – I don’t think this is his mindset at all, I don’t think that is his mentality to do doping."
"Second, when you find such low levels of a forbidden product in someone, in 90 percent of the cases – if not more – it is a contamination. So, the player is then a victim, and that’s why I think he is innocent.”
Mouratoglou knows about doping cases. He was Simona Halep's coach when her doping nightmare occurred. She eventually had a four-year ban reduced to nine months. Mouratoglou's team gave Halep the collagen that led to her positive test for roxadustat, but the Frenchman avoided any consequences.
