It has been quite an eventful year for Italian tennis, both on and off the court. While the likes of Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti have excelled this season, the former has also been embroiled in a doping controversy that threatened to take the shine away from his excellent performances. Notably, Italy has 3 players in the top 30, with Flavio Cobolli being the one apart from Sinner and Musetti. Despite Sinner’s doping controversy, Musetti had a firm opinion on his country’s performances in 2024.

While Sinner won a host of titles, including the Australian Open and the US Open, Musetti has had consistent performances in 2024 that kept him inside the top 20. The latter was involved in an interview with Tennis Majors during which he lifted the lid on Sinner’s doping controversy. Musetti was reminded of 38 Clostebol cases that shook Italian sports over the past few years.

In defense, Musetti said, “Most of the other cases did not come from tennis players. There were a few. If there would have been 38 cases of tennis players that probably would go in a way that you could think there is something suspicious. But on our level I know only Jannik (Sinner) got tested positive for this substance. So we don’t have to take away all the good parts of the Italian tennis movement because of this. There are a lot of controls and there is a lot of transparency in this sport. And I don’t want to think about anything else. I believe in the anti-doping fight.”

It all started after reports about Sinner’s positive tests were made public before the US Open. However, Sinner escaped punishment after the ITIA accepted his justification about how he came in contact with Clostebol through a spray applied by his physio. But a few weeks later, WADA reopened the case and sent it to the CAS, asking for Sinner to be banned for 1-2 years. Amid these controversial turn of events, the ITIA was called out for its preferential treatment of top players. However, they made their stance clear in the latest statement.

ITIA explains ‘complex’ process amid Jannik Sinner’s doping saga

While Sinner was let off by the ITIA, players like Simona Halep have received strict punishment in the past for failing doping tests. As a result, when Sinner escaped punishment, many tennis bigwigs and fans questioned if the association made preferential rules for some players.

Dismissing these allegations, the ITIA CEO, Karen Moorhouse, said, “The case management process for anti-doping cases is complex, and we appreciate that it can be confusing to understand the differences in outcome, or perceived inconsistencies in the process. To be absolutely clear, the process is defined by the World Anti-Doping Code, set out by the World Anti-Doping Agency, and the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme.”

Further, Moorhouse also revealed that the ruling is done without considering who the player is. The CEO of ITIA defended the association and cleared the rumors surrounding the preferential treatment by the ITIA. While the association cleared Sinner after failed doping tests, it remains to be seen if he receives any punishment by the CAS now, as WADA has appealed against ITIA’s ruling.