Jannik Sinner’s failed drugs test: Former world No 3 bemoans double standards, saying ‘positive doping test ruined me’
Former French Open finalist Guillermo Coria has lamented the fact that he “did not receive the same treatment” as Jannik Sinner when he failed a drugs test early in his career.
The Argentine had climbed into the top 50 of the ATP Rankings in early 2001, but then his world was thrown upside down when he tested positive for nandrolone in April and he was hit with a two-year ban.
Coria protested his innocence as he insisted that he tested positive after taking a multivitamin made by a New Jersey supplements company, but the ATP stuck to their guns although his ban was cut from two years to seven months.
When he eventually returned, he had slipped down the rankings and the episode had taken a toll on him as he did everything in his power to prove his innocence, to no avail.
“The positive doping test ruined me, I was at my best, then I came back with hatred,” he told CLAY.
“I spent my savings to bring a team of psychologists from Spain to treat me and show my personality, I also hired a lie detector in the United States, I had a genetic study done that through my hair showed what I was consuming.
“I showed how the drug entered my body, through a vitamin complex, which was not to take advantage, but when I got to the trial in Miami it was already decided.”
The 2004 Roland Garros runner-up’s story is in stark contrast to that of Sinner after the Italian failing two doping tests in March.
Jannik Sinner News
The world No 1 tested positive for clostebol and was provisionally suspended, but his lawyers successfully argued his case and he was allowed to continue playing.
Sinner’s failed tests only came to light in August when the International Tennis Integrity Association (ITIA) cleared him as he was found to be of “no fault or negligence” although the World Anti-Doping Agency has since appealed the ruling.
Coria – who returned to the sport in 2002 and went on to reach a career-high No 3 in the world in 2004 – feels it is a case of double standards as he was not afforded the same grace as Sinner.
“I feel that I did not receive the same treatment as him,” the current Argentine Davis Cup captain added. “It was a difficult time for me, and I gave it closure because I did not have a good time. All I ask is for equal treatment for everyone.”
