The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has confirmed they do not intend to appeal the Court of Arbitration of Sport's (CAS) decision against US Open champion Jannik Sinner.
The 23-year-old was found to have contained one billionth of a gram of the Clostebol drug in his system after receiving a massage from his physio in March, resulting in two positive tests.
Italian outlet Corriere della Sera reported the news, stating that Sinner has officially been cleared of any wrongdoing.
Part of the popular national sports newspapers' article read:
"Jannik Sinner is now totally acquitted of any doping charges. The secretariat of the CAS confirmed it to Corriere della Sera on Tuesday morning: WADA has not lodged an appeal against the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) ruling last year on August 19 which cleared Sinner of any responsibility for the double positivity to Clostebol last March for which the 21-day appeal deadline has already expired. The practice is therefore confirmed whereby Wada does not oppose the sentences of independent agencies such as those of athletics, cycling and tennis, considering them justified from a legal point of view.
"The absolution thus becomes definitive. Wada's decision, pondered for three weeks by the lawyers of the Canadian agency, took place on the basis of the dozen appeals to the CAS for the Clostebol drug, a very particular steroid contained only in healing ointments or sprays: the sports courts for the positivity to this active ingredient therefore does not punish the voluntariness of the fraud but the level of attention or lack thereof that the athlete has placed in avoiding contamination."
The two-time Grand Slam winner has now raced out to a 4105-point lead at the top of the ATP rankings.
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