Serena Williams’ childhood coach, Rick Macci, recently shared his thoughts on Jannik Sinner’s doping case. He stated that judgments should focus on whether the substance improves performance and argued that the 23-year-old should not face a ban.
Sinner tested positive for clostebol, a banned substance used to build muscle mass and enhance athletic performance, in March. However, an independent panel from the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) decided that he was not at fault or negligent. They accepted his explanation and allowed him to keep playing. Despite this, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) disagreed with the decision and has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
The Italian explained that he was accidentally contaminated with clostebol by his physiotherapist, Giacomo Naldi, who used a cream containing the banned substance on a cut and then treated Sinner without gloves, spreading the substance.
On Friday, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), Rick Macci shared his thoughts on the doping case, saying every situation is different and Sinner’s case makes sense. He said Sinner should not be banned and experts should check if a substance was taken on purpose and if it boosts performance. Macci tweeted:
“Each situation is different. Not one size fits all. Sinner incident is documented and the explanation is understandable. Flamethrower should NOT be banned 1 second. Experts who decide fate need to breathe and see if what they have taken on purpose or mistake enhances performance.”
Novak Djokovic was asked about Jannik Sinner’s doping controversy ahead of the 2024 Shanghai Masters back in October. The Serb in response criticized the tennis system, describing it as flawed and inconsistent with too many governing bodies involved.
He added that regardless of the outcome, he hopes the issue is resolved as soon as possible. Djokovic said:
“I think it’s quite obvious that we have a system that is not working well. I guess that’s probably something that even the people who are not following our sport are realizing. There are way too many inconsistencies, way too many governing bodies involved. Just this whole case is not helping our sport at all.”
“Whatever’s going to happen, at the end of the day, I just wish for it to be resolved as soon as possible. That’s all I have to say about that,” he added.
Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner are currently tied 4-4 in their head-to-head record. This season, they have faced each other twice.
Their first meeting was in the semifinals of the Australian Open where Sinner outplayed the Serb and went on to defeat Daniil Medvedev to claim his first Grand Slam title. Their second encounter was in the final of the Shanghai Masters where Sinner once again defeated Djokovic.
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