Remember when the former World No. 1, Simona Halep tested positive for a banned drug during the 2022 US Open that needed her to serve a four-year ban? Fast-forward to the present day, and the ATP World No. 1, Jannik Sinner, is fighting a similar battle after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug, Clostebol. Although initially, he managed to acquit himself of the blame successfully, the reopening of the case has raised eyebrows in the tennis world. And it’s not only the player himself who is under scrutiny from fans; tennis coach Brad Gilbert’s comments have also caused a stir in the tennis community.

In 2022, Halep not only tested positive for Roxadustat, a drug used to treat anemia, but irregularities in her ABP (Athlete Biological Passport) further complicated the situation. Although she fought the battle for over ten months, a hearing from an independent tribunal in June 2023 resulted in her ban from the tennis world! It was not until March 2024 that her appeal for innocence was finally granted by the authorities, and she returned to the tennis court.

However, soon after Halep’s positive test for the drug, the former coach of Coco Gauff, Brad Gilbert, made a statement on X, “Simona Halep suspended after testing positive for a prohibited substance at 2022 US Open,” with a picture of Serena Williams on the post, perhaps displaying his disapproval of Halep! However, when Jannik Sinner faced a similar scenario after testing positive for Clostebol (and after the reopening of the case by WADA, which found ITIA’s verdict to be “incorrect”), there was a slight shift in his tone.

The former American player took to his X and shared his anger at WADA for reopening the case. “I am  completely disheveled by this Wada decision,  was 8000 times smaller then a gram of salt 🧂 this now will unfortunately take months to figure out, where is the players representation on this, other then Sin City 🌆 paying for his own lawyers.” Now, as fans dug out the screenshot of his previous tweet (about Halep) and compared it to his recent post in favor of Jannik Sinner, they have raised questions about his consistency!

Fans react to Gilbert’s comments on Jannik Sinner’s doping saga

Even during the Monte Carlo tournament, due to a critical error from the chair umpire, Sinner ultimately lost the match against the eventual winner, Stefanos Tsitsipas. Witnessing this, Gilbert, furious at the situation, took to his X and urged for the introduction of electronic line calling during matches and showed his support for the Italian. Now, he is once again siding with Jannik Sinner in the doping case, even after his contradictory opinion during Halep’s case, and it did not sit right with fans. One fan wrote, “Brilliant! Not so disheveled when it was Simona.”

Another fan echoed a similar sentiment and wrote, “What’s funny here is he’s calling for “players representation.” Did he indirectly referred to PTPA? Somehow everything starts and ends with Mr Đoković (which is correct 😀), but when it comes from BG, it’s usually a hot potato. It’s Mr Sinner a member of the said Union, he pays.” Facing backlash from fans for his comments, especially from Novak Djokovic fans, is not new. In 2022, when Djokovic could not participate in the US Open due to COVID restrictions, Gilbert took to his X and slammed his team, writing, “Sure 🤔 his team tried everything.” His comments drew heavy criticism from the ‘Nole’ fans!

One fan commented, “Great find. What a fraud BG is. Unreal.” Moreover, Gilbert’s comments during an interview with Alex De Minaur and Jack Draper in the 2024 US Open stirred up another controversy when he said, “Nice that we have got 4 English speakers in the quarters and semis.” As he excluded the eventual winner, Jannik Sinner, from his comments, he faced backlash from fans!

One fan wrote on X, “I blocked him long ago, that’s how disgusting our his comments for me.” Not only because of his posts, Gilbert has faced backlash from fans for his constant coaching of his ex-protégé, Gauff, in the 2023 US Open. At one point, Gauff even turned to her box and said, “Stop talking.”

Another fan pointed out how Clostebol adds “more muscle” to an individual, which is exactly what Sinner had previously stated in 2021 and 2022 (that he desired to have in the future). The fan commented, “This is what he had to say back in 2022. Now what does the anabolic steroid Clostebol do?” However, soon after the reopening of the case, Jannik Sinner admitted, “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.”

As the controversy goes on and experts voice their opinions, fans are waiting for some clarity on the matter!