Top-ranked tennis player Jannik Sinner tested positive twice for a banned anabolic steroid in March.
He was stripped of prize money and points earned at the Masters tournament in Indian Wells, California, but will not be suspended after an independent tribunal said it was not intentional.
The Italian tested positive for low levels of a metabolite of clostebol – a steroid that can be used to build muscle mass.
Sinner said the substance entered his bloodstream after it was used by his physiotherapist to treat a cut on the latter’s hand.
“The physiotherapist treated Jannik without gloves and coupled with various skin lesions on Jannik’s body caused the inadvertent contamination,” a statement from Sinner’s lawyers said.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced the case on Tuesday.
“I will now put this challenging and deeply unfortunate period behind me,” Sinner said in a statement.
“I will continue to do everything I can to ensure I continue to comply with the ITIA’s anti-doping programme.
“I have a team around me that are meticulous in their own compliance.”
Clostebol is often found in products to treat swelling and irritation. It is on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of prohibited substances.
Sinner won the Cincinnati Open on Monday and will be among the favourites at the US Open, which starts in New York next week.
Content Source: www.perthnow.com.au