Italian athlete Jannik Sinner‘s doping case has received a new development. The ATP number one player tested positive for clostebol, a banned substance that is available in over-the-counter drugs in Italy. After testing positive twice in March, Sinner received an eight-day suspension from ITIA, and his 2024 Indian Wells prize money was stripped. Despite his punishment, WADA appealed to CAS, highlighting their dissatisfaction with ITIA’s verdict. Recently, when CAS announced the hearing dates, Martina Navratilova came forward in Sinner’s support, expressing serious disapproval of WADA’s decision.

The ATP number one received a comparatively lesser punishment than others because he was able to prove that the banned anabolic steroid entered his system when his former physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi gave him a massage. Despite that, many in the fraternity weren’t convinced about his innocence. WADA appealed his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sports, claiming more severe punishment for Sinner before the 2024 US Open; CAS confirmed a while ago that Sinner’s case is scheduled for a closed-door hearing in Switzerland’s Lausanne from April 16th to 17th. According to Tennis.com’s report, the Italian athlete might face suspension for up to two years.

Sinner’s case update was shared by journalist Jon Wertheim on X. Reflecting on the situation, he tweeted, “Unfortunate timing… a 90-day ban would likely take him out of multiple Majors. Especially since WADA is not contesting the facts or intent, but rather the application of strict liability laws, one would expect a fairly quick decision….” As soon as he shared the latest update about Sinner’s case, it grabbed former WTA pro Martina Navratilova’s attention. Taking a dig at WADA’s appeal, the legend wrote, “WADA stinks. Been saying that for years.”

Interestingly, this is not Navratilova’s first argument against WADA. When the World Anti-Doping Agency appealed against Sinner’s verdict on 26th September, challenging the ITIA’s “no fault or negligence” verdict and choosing to ignore Sinner’s claim of unintentional contamination, Navratilova fumed with anger. “This is nuts. WADA is a mess,” she tweeted on X. To make her case, she even referred to the 23 Chinese swimmers who were not stopped from participating and winning medals in the Tokyo Olympics despite testing positive for trimetazidine.

Not only did Navratilova criticize WADA’s appeal for Jannik Sinner’s long suspension but she also explained why she thinks the Italian player is innocent. Reflecting on how she would act if she was in Sinner’s position, Navratilova reasserted that she firmly believes in Sinner’s claims.

Martina Navratilova believes that Jannik Sinner “clearly wasn’t cheating” 

The legend is an admirer of Sinner’s playing style. When he ended the season as ATP number one, Navratilova tweeted praising the Italian athlete’s spirit and talent. “What a year for Jannik Sinner- will be hard to equal  or top this, it’s a very high bar:)” she tweeted on X.

Further, the Czech-American legend believed that if she was in Sinner’s position, she would have never asked her physiotherapist about which cream they had put on. Reflecting on this, she tweeted why she never believed in the claims surrounding Sinner’s intentional doping controversies: “It literally would never have occurred to me to ask what cream or oil my massage therapist uses, if that is how it got into his system… This clearly wasn’t cheating…yikes”.

Martina Navratilova’s support for Jannik Sinner might lift the latter’s hopes for a better judgment. While CAS is yet to drop a verdict, Sinner’s followers are praying hard to see their favorite star in action this season. Do you think Jannik Sinner will receive a fair result based on his claim of innocence? Or will the chips fall away from him?