Jannik Sinner Drug Suspension: Why Wimbledon Winner Was Banned – The Clostebol Drug Test Controversy Explained

Jannik Sinner Drug Case: Jannik Sinner, who is currently the number one-ranked player in the world, faced Carlos Alcaraz, currently number two, in the Wimbledon men's singles final on July 13.Sinner is a three-time Grand Slam winner and has recently won his first major tournament after returning from a 3-month doping ban earlier this year.What Happened At The Dope Test?Sinner, Italian world No.1, failed two drug tests in 2024, which then came with a suspension from all tennis competitions from February 9 2025, to May 4, 2025, following an agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).He twice tested positive for clostebol, a steroid that is used to build muscles. As per the National Library of Medicine, clostebol is a drug that is a steroid that can be used to build muscles. A positive test can be because the drug was “voluntarily used to enhance performance or a direct consequence of a contamination,” it states.However, Sinner claimed that he had been "contaminated by a healing spray purchased by his physio, Umberto Ferrara". The Times reported that his physiotherapist "used the spray on a cut on his hand and then subsequently gave Sinner a massage on his back and applied treatments to his feet."Also Read: Ozempic Users Say Sex Feels ‘Repulsive’ Now— What Is The New Side Effect Of Weight Loss Drug?While he has secured his first Wimbledon title on Sunday, the doping controversy may put him in a pickle. WADA had earlier announced that it would appeal to the "no fault or negligence" decision; however, the appeal was never heard.Detection of Clostebol In SportsWADA notes that clostebol is an anabolic androgenic steroid (AAS), which is a derivative form testosterone and is approved for topical use in dermatological and ophthalmological preparations. In cases, it has also been permitted for its oral use.Due to its anabolic properties, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in the past and WADA have included clostebol and the other AAS in the yearly renewed list of prohibited substances in sports.The detection of this drug, notes WADA, is mainly based on the detection of its main metabolite, that is 4-chloro-4-androsten-3a-ol-17-one, which could be excreted into urine. Antidoping laboratories have also developed methods based on gas chromatography to improve detection capabilities, which can detect drugs even at lower limits.While metabolite levels like M1, M2, M3, M4 show the amount of drug found in an individual's report, WADA also mentions that accidental contamination is also possible for an individual after getting into close contact with another individual using transdermal clostebol acetate. For WADA, it notes, "we propose M2, M3 and M4 as the best targets worth being synthetized and characterized for this purpose."Clostebol: Availability, Health Risks, and Contamination CasesA 2024 study titled Clostebol and sport: about controversies involving contamination vs. doping offence, notes that clostebol is easily available a an OTC or over-the-counter product in pharmacies or drugstores in several countries. It is commercialized as a cream or spray in the form of acetate ester. This is also the explanation Sinner had used when his reports were found positive.The study notes that even controlled transdermal application of clostebol acetate has been reported to produce detectable amounts of its metabolites in urine, even after a single exposure.Also Read: Why Stopping Antidepressants Can Be Harder, Here's How Withdrawal Could Last Longer Than You ThinkA 2004 study published in Oxford Academic, titled Incidental Closetbol Contamination in Athletes after Sexual Intercourse also proves that intimate contact can lead to detectable levels of closetbol in the urine. The study notes, "One male athlete whose urine tested positive for traces of clostebol metabolites claimed that he was contaminated as a result of sexual intercourse with a woman taking a medication containing clostebol. The IOC did not exonerate him from the results reported by LABDOP. The remaining athletes maintained that the presence of clostebol metabolites in their urine was the result of using clostebol-containing medications."The study notes that closetbol acetate is also present in medicines for gynecologic treatments. However, the study notes a case in Brazil, whereas in the US, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not approve of the use of medicines that contain anabolic agents.The main risks are those of excessive androgens: menstrual irregularities and virilization in women and impotence, premature cardiovascular disease and prostatic hypertrophy in men. Both men and women can suffer liver damage with oral anabolic steroids, notes World Health Organization's Internationally Peer Reviewed Chemical Safety Information (INCHEM).Acute overdosage can produce nausea and gastrointestinal upset. INCHEM further notes that chronic usage is thought to cause an increase in muscle bulk, and can cause an exaggeration of male characteristics and effects related to male hormones.Anabolic steroids can influence sexual function. They can also cause cardiovascular and hepatic damage. Acne and male-pattern baldness occur in both sexes; irregular menses, atrophy of the breasts, and clitoromegaly in women; and testicular atrophy and prostatic hypertrophy in men.

Jannik Sinner Drug Suspension: Why Wimbledon Winner Was Banned – The Clostebol Drug Test Controversy Explained

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