Jannik Sinner’s crowning as year-end world number one came amid emotional scenes in Turin on Monday, but a cloud continues to hang over men’s tennis’ best player.

Sinner tested positive twice for anabolic steroids in March, but on August 20, an independent court determined he was not responsible and imposed no sanctions.

The court accepted Sinner’s explanation that the banned substance had entered his body following a massage from his physiotherapist, who had used a spray containing the steroid to treat a cut finger.

But the World Anti-Doping Agency appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, seeking to impose a ban of up to two years on the 23-year-old Italian.

“I’m very disappointed and also surprised by the appeal, to be honest,” was Sinner’s reaction to the news of WADA’s appeal. “I didn’t expect it. Maybe they just want to make sure everything is in the right position.

A statement from WADA said: “WADA is of the view that the finding of ‘no fault or negligence’ was not correct under the applicable rules.

“WADA requests a period of ineligibility of between one and two years. WADA is not seeking disqualification of any results except those already imposed by the trial court.

Former player Conor Niland has spoken to Tennis365 about the ongoing Sinner controversy, with the Irishman suggesting the scar from the drugs scandal will weigh on the world number 1 and could tarnish his legacy in the eyes of some of his skeptics.

Niland, who appeared in the Wimbledon main draw and faced Novak Djokovic at the 2011 US Open, believes Sinner was embroiled in a drug scandal which is unfortunate rather than suspicious.

However, he accepts that some people question a story that has not yet come to fruition, with Sinner continuing his career while awaiting his fate.

“I was watching Sinner receive his award for being world number one and there’s a slight question mark over the WADA appeal and this year’s drug controversy,” said Niland, who is waiting to find out if his brilliant book, The Racket, will win the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award 2024 when the winner of the prestigious prize will be revealed next week.

“I think he was unlucky. I don’t think he was doping, but there must be a lot going on for him right now with this case.

“I saw his mother crying in the crowd when he received the No. 1 year-end award and I wondered if…I’m sure there’s a lot going on in the background and in the team at large around Sinner. I would say that it has done them a lot of harm, all this noise in recent months.

“The Sinner story, for people who don’t follow tennis and don’t know the whole story, is something that people will latch on to. So we need to address and clarify this both for Sinner and for tennis in general.

“It will be interesting to see if that stays with him or if it’s something he can move on to.” Anyone involved in such a situation could see their inheritance affected. »

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The tiny amounts of banned substances in Sinner’s body that led to the failed drug test suggest there were no deliberate doping offenses, with Niland pleading for a change in the rules to avoid a repeat .

“I think we should look at a threshold for a banned substance,” he suggested. “If it’s less than a billionth of a gram, to me, it’s nothing. It’s getting to the point where you could be walking down the street and someone sweeps you up and you could be contaminated.

“If this is the amount we’re talking about here, it’s not something that should tarnish someone’s legacy and their career accomplishments.”

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