Jannik Sinner was unfortunate to fail two doping tests, but according to former player and critically acclaimed author Conor Niland, his legacy could still be negatively affected.
Sinner has been the standout player on the ATP Tour in 2024. That was recognized when he received the trophy for finishing as the year-end No. 1 at the ATP Finals on home soil in Turin.
The Italian's achievements this season include winning his first Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open and US Open. He also secured three Masters 1000 crowns at the Miami Open, Cincinnati Open, and Shanghai Masters.
Sinner started his ATP Finals campaign strongly with two consecutive victories. The most recent of those was on Tuesday against Taylor Fritz, who played and lost to the world No. 1 in the US Open final.
However, those significant achievements have been blighted somewhat by his twice testing positive for the banned substance clostebol at the Indian Wells Open. That led to a private five-month investigation.
A few days before the US Open, it was announced that the International Tennis Integrity Agency had cleared Sinner and did not give him a ban, arguing he bore no fault for the clostebol accidentally entering his system.
But the World Anti-Doping Agency appealed the case, arguing Sinner bore some fault for the positive tests despite not knowing about the clostebol entering his system after massages from his physiotherapist at the time, Giacomo Naldi.
Although one of Sinner's coaches is confident that other players in the locker room know he did nothing wrong, the 23-year-old still faces an anxious wait for a verdict, which is expected to be reached in early 2025.
Niland, one of Ireland's most successful players, recently released a memoir titled The Racket. The book details what life is like for lower-ranked players and has received very positive reviews for combining humor with brutal honesty.
The 43-year-old spoke to Tennis365 about Sinner's doping scandal. While sympathetic to the Italian, Niland feels the matter needs to be resolved as quickly as possible due to its negative impact on tennis.
"I think he has gotten unlucky. I don’t think he was doping, but it is there must be a lot going on for him right now with the case going on. I saw his mum tearing up in the crowd when he was given the year-end No 1 prize and I wondered if… I’m sure there is a lot going on in the background and the wider team around Sinner."
"I’d say this has hurt them a lot, all this noise from the last few months. Sinner’s story, for people who don’t follow tennis and don’t know the full story, is something people will latch on to. So we need to get this sorted and cleared both for Sinner and for tennis in general."
"It will be interesting to see if it stays with him or if this is something he can move on to. Anyone caught up in something like this could see their legacy affected."
Niland is correct that the case has cast a dark shadow over tennis, and as swift a resolution as possible so the sport can move on would be positive.