WADA reopens Tennis’s Sinner Wound

ATP
WADA reopens Tennis’s Sinner Wound

WHAT HAPPENED? In a move few were expecting after Jannik Sinner was cleared by the ITIA, WADA wasn’t happy with the process and appealed the decision. The antidoping agency is requesting the CAS judge the case and will demand a one-to-two-year ban against the World No.1. “It is WADA’s view that the finding of “no fault or negligence” was not correct under the applicable rules. “WADA is seeking a period of ineligibility of between one and two years. WADA is not seeking a disqualification of any results, save that which has already been imposed by the tribunal of first instance,” it said in a statement.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR SINNER? The Italian will have to face another panel of three independent arbitrators chosen by the CAS. His lawyer, Jamie Singer, told the Gazzetta that this appeal was “useless.” There is no timeline given right now for when this appeal will be happening, and so Sinner can keep playing in the meantime. With a Sword of Damocles above his head. He’s at least sure not to lose his US Open title, as WADA stated they weren’t seeking any disqualification. Sinner, who said in New York that he had been going through a rough time during the whole investigation, is in for another round. Having also recently lost his aunt, it remains to be seen how long he can handle the situation with the same poise he has shown so far. One can also imagine the business pressure for Sinner, 23, who’s the face of many big brands, including Nike and Gucci. The WADA decision is the absolute worst-case scenario for him.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR TENNIS? Well, it’s pretty bad news as the WADA decision comes as a full rebuttal of the process leading to the ITIA clearing Sinner. It cannot be good news for the sport to be told it didn’t manage a doping case of that magnitude in the right way. Having your World No.1 testing positive is already an absolute disaster. Having your entire process be told it got it wrong is adding another layer to an already explosive situation. It also fuels the claims of the players and tennis followers, saying Sinner got preferential treatment when he won his appeals to be allowed to compete after the positive tests. The ITIA decision was thought to have closed the door on all these doubts, whatever, but WADA just reopened the wound and the box of all-the-takes.

WHAT DID THE ITIA SAY? “Having reached an agreed set of facts following a thorough investigative process, the case was referred to a tribunal entirely independent of the ITIA to determine level of fault and therefore sanction because of the unique set of circumstances, and lack of comparable precedent. The process was run according to World Anti-Doping Code guidelines; however, the ITIA acknowledges and respects WADA’s right to appeal the independent tribunal’s decision in the Court of Arbitration for Sport,” it said in a statement.

WHAT DID SINNER SAY? “Obviously I’m very disappointed and also surprised of this appeal, to be honest, because we had three hearings. All three hearings came out very positively for me. We always talk about the same thing. Maybe they just want to make sure that everything is in the right position,” he said in Beijing. Before publishing a statement, adding: “I am disappointed to hear that WADA have chosen to appeal the result of my ITIA hearing after the independent judges had exonerated me and deemed me to be innocent. Over the past few months and throughout this process there have been three separate hearings in each case confirming my innocence.“Several months of interviews and investigations culminated in three senior judges scrutinizing every detail through a formal hearing.

They issued an in-depth judgement explaining why they determined me not at fault, with clear evidence provided and my cooperation throughout. On the back of such a robust process, both the ITIA and the Italian anti-doping authority accepted it and waived their rights to appeal. I understand these things need to be thoroughly investigated to maintain the integrity of the sport we all love. However, it is difficult to see what will be gained by asking a different set of three judges to look at the same facts and documentation all over again. This being said, I have nothing to hide, and as I have done throughout the summer, I will cooperate fully with the appeal process and provide whatever may be needed to prove my innocence once again.”

WHAT DID ALCARAZ SAY? Asked about the situation in Bejing, here’s what he had to say: “It’s really sensitive things to Jannik and tennis in general. I mean, after everything was decided, before Cincinnati, that the ITIA (International Tennis Integrity Agency) saying he didn’t do anything wrong, and now came again, it is open again. I think for tennis is not really good, not really good sign for tennis in general. I thought it was closed. This month I didn’t know what happen exactly. I just saw the news and it surprised me a little bit. Okay, what’s going on that the case is open again? I don’t know how it’s going to be the next months. For sure to tennis, not a good sign.

It is difficult for him. I know everyone talking about it, the news, talking about it. Probably, as he said before New York, people started to look at him in different way. I don’t know how it can be. But for sure I understand the position. I feel him. The game and the level that he’s playing with everything he’s been through right now, it’s insane. He’s able to put all the things aside when he step on the court, playing a good tennis, is unbelievable. I hope that this thing, this term will be aside soon and he’s able to stay focused on what he loves, and that is playing tennis, trying to keep going. All I can say, I hope that with his people around, his close people and him, not going to feel bad these next months.”

ATP/WTA ASIAN SWING
Alcaraz passes the #200 mark, Sinner keeps winning

• Carlos Alcaraz is having a great week for his stats in Beijing. He got his Tour-level win n°200 by qualifying for the quarterfinals and then clinched the World No.2 back after reaching the semi-finals. Only John McEnroe has gone to 200 wins faster than Alcaraz, who took over Rafael Nadal, among the players who reached World No.1. "It was a great achievement, getting my 200th win on the ATP Tour. I always try and want to win every match that I play. Just two years and a half, more or less, being on the Tour, playing the Tour, having my 200th win is great for me. I just want to keep going, to keep getting more and more wins,” he said. Even his argument with the umpire and anger at the new clock system didn’t get the best of his game.
  

• For now, he’s still going strong. Jannik Sinner, despite all his WADA worries, has qualified for the semi-finals of the ATP 500 in Beijing, beating Jiri Lehecka (6-2, 7-6(6), and saving two set points on the way (3-5, 4-6, 8-6) The Italian is now on a 14-match winning streak with this 10th semi-final of the season.
  

• French players are having a crazy good week in Tokyo, especially Arthur Fils! For the first time since Vienna 2017 (Lucas Pouille - Jo-Wilfried Tsonga), two French players will meet in a final on the ATP Tour. Arthur Fils took down nearly all the big names out of the draw this week with wins against Taylor Fritz (n°1), (6-4, 3-6, 6-3), Matteo Berrettini (6-7 [5], 0-0 ret.), and defending champion Ben Shelton, tête de série n°8 (7-5, 6-7 [5], 7-6 [2]). He beat Holger Rune in 2h23 (7-6(8), 7-6(10)) at his sixth match point to get to the final.
  

• Zhang Shuai broke the curse and just kept going. She was on a 23-match lost streak when she arrived in Beijing, but Zhang Shuai picked that win at home to find her best game back. She has now made history by becoming the lowest-ranked player (#595) to make Beijing round of 16. “At China Open, this court I think is like Philippe Chatrier for Rafa," Zhang told the press. "When I'm on this court, I have everything. This court, because I grew up from Tianjin, Beijing, I played this hard court more than 20 years every day. I think my tennis is so natural on this court, I can play my best tennis on this court."
  

• The WTA 1000 in Beijing is having ALL the popcorn for its last stretch. The round of 16 is absolutely packed, just the way we like it. Just judge: Coco Gauff - Naomi Osaka, Aryna Sabalenka - Madison Keys, Qinwen Zheng - Amanda Anisimova! The striking skills?! Through the roof.

QUESTION OF THE DAY 
Do you get it?

You were 53,85% to think Rafael Nadal wouldn’t retire during the Davis Cup Finals. Yet, as Paul said, the end is still coming for Rafa’s career, even if he surely doesn’t want to (and us too…): “Chronic injuries and declining results will force Rafa to retire despite his love of tennis and competition.”

BUSINESS / MEDIA 
Wimbledon’s expansion gets the green light

Well, it’s happening! What? Wimbledon, The Extended Edition. And so, now, we’ll if people are really going to tie themselves to the grounds in protest. In what has been - and may still keep being - a proper drama-made-in-Wimbledon, the AELTC received the green light to get going with that expansion. 39 courts should be added to Wimbledon Park, helping the Grand Slam event to stage its qualification on-site instead of staging them in Roehampton. On Friday, after a three-hour public hearing, “the deputy mayor of London ruled that the “very significant benefits” of the scheme outweighed any potential harm to the environment.”

Jules Pipe detailed his reasoning: “The proposed development would facilitate very significant benefits, including those to public open space and recreation, community, cultural heritage, ecology and biodiversity, economic, employment and transport. These would clearly outweigh the harm caused by the proposal and represent very special circumstances. For these reasons, I agree with the GLA [Greater London Authority] planning officer’s recommendation and grant planning permission.” Opponents of the projects remind the ALETC that back in 1993, they had signed on not touching the space they now intend to… touch. Opponents have six weeks to decide to bring the case to the judicial system and even to the Supreme Court.

"We are delighted that the Greater London Authority has resolved to approve our applications to transform the former Wimbledon Park Golf Course," said Debbie Jevans, Chair of the All England Club, in a statement. "Our proposals will deliver 27 acres of newly accessible parkland for the community and enable us to bring the Qualifying Competition for The Championships onsite, with all of the substantial economic and employment opportunities this presents. Every stage of this project will be delivered with a meticulous attention to detail and the utmost respect for both our neighbors and the environment.”

In Wimbledon-related matters, the price for a ticket to the finals has reached over 300£ for the first time. The All England Club, following last year's incredible success, has decided to raise the price by £40 to £315. “Spectators paid £63 to attend the men’s singles final in 2000, £100 in 2009, and £210 in 2018,” reports The Times, also quoting a spokesperson for the All England Club: “Very careful consideration is given when setting ticket prices for the Championships, with the greatest price increase applied to premium seats on Centre Court and No 1 Court. Twenty percent of all tickets have had prices frozen at 2024 levels, including grounds passes.”

There’s a new sponsor for the Australian Open. Its name? EZZ Life Science Holdings Limited. For how long? 3 years. What is the company about? It’s an “Australian health and wellness company, specializes in high-quality nutraceutical products. With a strong focus on improving health outcomes through innovative supplements.”

MENS SANA IN CORPORE SANO 
In and Out

• OUT: Caroline Garcia is saying no to the tennis dress. Until Australia next year. The French player announced on social media that she was terminating her season, deciding to pass on the China Open and the Wuhan Open. Why? She explained she has been fighting anxiety and lack of motivation all season long and needs to take a break. The good news is that she seemed to have found her love for tennis again in recent weeks and will try to go back to it next year. But right now, her mind needs to switch off from professional sports. And her right shoulder needs it, too.
  
  A very sensitive person, Garcia has always struggled with the pressure of being one of the best players in the world. She’s been trying all year to switch her routines and mindset to cope with a rough stretch on the court, but it just left her exhausted. Let’s see if that short break, where she intends to intensify the work started with a psychologist, will be enough for her to solve it all.
  

• IN: Simona Halep gets back on court. Out of the Tour since May due to a knee injury, Halep has announced her comeback: she accepted a wild card into the WTA 125 of Hong Kong.

SOME BREAK POINTS… 
Gauff adds a new coach, thieves take on Roland-Garros

• Coco Gauff has found a new buddy for Jean-Christophe Faurel. After parting ways with Brad Gilbert, she announced that Matt Daly would now join the team. Daly previously worked with Denis Shapovalov, and Gauff hopes the partnership will last.
  
  "I think this is probably what it will look like next year too. I'm super excited for a new change and hopefully to improve other parts of my game. Working with Brad was really great, and obviously, we had a great partnership. I think it was just time to do a reset, a refresh, and add some things in my game that I felt like I need to do to have a better season next year,” she told the WTA Insider in Beijing.
  
  Gauff also confirmed the obvious: Daly’s main priority for now is to fix her serve. "There are other parts of my game that I want to work on, too, but the focus right now is the serve," Gauff also said. "When I serve well, I play pretty well. For me, that's the basis for my game. Already, the little bit we've done has made a drastic improvement to where I was three weeks ago. At this point, there's not a crazy amount, like going through a whole technique change or resetting everything. It's just subtle things that, doing it for a week now, will help me."
  

• Thieves at Roland-Garros? Yes. They broke into the stadium last Thursday night and came out of raiding offices with €11000 in cash and €20000 in jewelry. And nobody cared about racquets and balls? Surely they ain’t no tennis fans… The French Federation has put police on the case. An inspiration for another reboot of Arsène Lupin?
  

• He will not appear as Arsène Lupin but actor Ben Stiller is still trying something new as he joins Andy Roddick in a, wait for it, pickleball movie. Roddick on the screen wasn’t something I’d have expected, but I kinda feel it can suit him. But in a pickleball movie? Surely, not as steamy as Challengers… Yet, confirming that (will some say, “sadly”?) pickleball is coming for tennis’s spot in the entertainment industry. The movie is said to be a comedy, will start filming in November, and be released on Hulu. It will be called “The Dink.”
  
  What will it be about? “The comedy will focus on a washed-up tennis professional attempting to save his club by reluctantly playing pickleball to earn his father's respect.” No, Roddick doesn’t play the tennis player here, as the role has been awarded to Jake Johnson. It’s not the first time that Roddick has gone all Hollywood, as he already appeared in a movie (“Just Go With It” in 2011 and a TV show (“Sabrina the Teenage Witch” in 2002) and hosted SNL in 2003.
  

• Acapulco is underwater again. The city has been struck hard by another hurricane, and so, for a second time, the site of the ATP 500 Abierto Mexicano Telcel has been wrecked. The tournament is supposed to be played early next year (24 Feb - 1 March). Of course, tennis facilities are the least of people’s worries at this time when people’s houses and safety are in jeopardy.

PLAY HARD, TRAIN HARD, DRESS THE PART 
Do you wanna shop the look?

I love the “shop the look” options, even when I know I’m absolutely not forking that amount of money for it. It satisfies my curiosity, and that’s enough. So, do you wanna shop that great Qinwen Zheng look? Then head over here to this account has all the details.

EDITOR’S PICKS 

You can find other picks here, including my go-to newsletters for anything tech*, anything backstage* or professional sports*, and the one for everything NIL*. If you’re a solopreneur, you might like this one, by the way. I also have a sweet spot for The Creator Spotlight*, which provides examples of other creators’ journeys.

READ: If you want to stay up to date with the most popular supplements in sports (beetroot shots, baking soda, etc.) and get reviews about their efficiency (or not): The Guardian has a great feature going in-depth into the topic.

WATCH: The match point between Arthur Fils and Holger Rune in Tokyo. So Good.

LISTEN TO: If you don’t know where tennis balls go when they die and are curious about it, listen to The Hustle podcast for the answer.