Is Italian Jannik a sinner or not? Tennis world delivers a split verdict!

If Jannik Sinner needed to prove his is no dope cheat, the easiest way out seems to be firing two men who were close to him -- physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi and fitness trainer Umberto Ferrara.

Coming as it were on the eve of the US Open, beginning in New York on Monday, Jannik has attempted to establish he is no sinner and the case of twice testing positive for anabolic steroid Clostebol was not the fault of the World No.1.

First things first, since the time Jannik Sinner won the Australian Open in January 2024, life has not been easy for him. Call it a flawed ranking system used by the ATP computer, he has continued to be No. 1 despite lacklustre performances.

This gets further accentuated when one sees the rise of Carlos Alcaraz as a true champion who won the French Open and Wimbledon with minimum fuss. Of course, wily old fox Novak Djokovic bounced back to win the gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Sinner never showed up at the Olympic, for the record.

Back to how the Italian tested positive for the banned substance, it came through usage of a pain-killer spray purchased by Umberto Ferrara over the counter. That physio Naldi used it on the athlete with a cut on his finger has 'established' how the chemical entered the body of Sinner.

How the player was allowed to compete at and after Indians Wells in March, despite testing positive twice for a banned substance listed by the WADA - World Anti Doping Agency - is what has caused a storm.

Facing the media in New York on Friday (August 23), Sinner did face hard questions. As if to shift blame, he has got rid of the coach and trainer, which seemed the best option to avoid more media glare.

It is well known that the tennis uses an independent testing agency, ITIA (International Tennis Integrity Agency) to hunt for dope cheats. What has set the cat among the pigeons is, how and why Sinner was allowed to continue to play after he had tested positive, The normal course should have seen suspension for Sinner and waiting till the case was heard by the appropriate agencies.

That is why from Australian maverick Nick Kyrgios, a player who has turned commentator far too early in his career to a few more, they are saying the Sinner case has been handled improperly. It is well known tennis takes a tough stance on anti-doping.

The case of Simona Halep and her travails are still fresh in memory as she had tested for positive for banned substance Roxadustat. She had to run from pillar to post to get her name cleared through CAS - Court of Arbitration for Sports.

Even as Halep was suspended, her coach Patrick Mouratoglou kept pleading that she was innocent. Nobody believed him and Halep faced a lot of hardships.

Point is, how can there be different standards for different tennis players. If Halep was guilty and out for over two years till her name was cleared, how come Jannik Sinner was given preferential treatment? Then again, ITIA clearing the Italian and CAS hearing out Halep are very different.

The general feeling is, even if Sinner was not at fault and his physio had erred in using a spray with a cut on his finger which saw the banned substance enter the player's body, it cannot be pardoned or condoned.

The onus is always on the player and excuses will not work. For Sinner to get away by saying he had no idea a spray was used wrongly has led to an uproar. How could Sinner be so naive that his physio had a cut and was risking more than mere transfer of a chemical through massage is an indicator of carelessness as well.

Right away, there may be no problem for Sinner at the US Open but he will be hounded by the media and face questioning on social media as well. Doping and punishment are topics where everyone has an opinion. Just that, in tennis, the ITIA testing procedures are very strong and for them to treat Sinner kindly is being viewed as a sign of partiality.

Rewind to the dark days of Maria Sharpova, when she tested positive for the usage of Meldonium in 2016, all hell broke loose. All of a sudden, the most good-looking tennis player who had won five Grand Slam titles was slammed by the media.

To be fair, she admitted using Meldonium, which does enhance performance. Life was never the same for Sharapova after that and she faded into obscurity.

There are a few more doping cases as well in tennis, but what has resulted in Jannik Sinner becoming the cynosure now is a seeming partial treatment. Surely, this controversy overshadows the season's last Grand Slam, beginning in less than two days.