"Happy for Jannik Sinner but for me, I am disappointed" - Italian player who was handed 4-year ban for testing positive for same drug as World No. 1

Stefano Battaglino, who like Jannik Sinner tested positive for clostebol, a banned anabolic-androgenic steroid, has opened up about the differences in the verdicts of the two cases. The Italian tennis player, who reached a career-high ranking of 760, received a four-year ban from the sport and has expressed disappointment with the decision.

Battaglino tested positive for the substance on September 14th, 2022, during an M15 event in Morocco, following which he received a suspension from tennis starting February 2023. Though he appealed the verdict, an independent tribunal determined that he did not prove the source of the clostebol in an October 2023 hearing and so the verdict stood.

Battaglino was banned from competing at tennis events authorized by the members of the ITIA (International Tennis Integrity Agency) from February 1, 2023, to January 31, 2027.

During an interview with Corriere della Sera, Battaglino highlighted how his case was similar to that of Jannik Sinner, before adding that the verdicts differed widely. He said that while he was happy for the World No. 1, he was extremely "disappointed" with the verdict he himself had to face.

"The drug is the same, as was the reduced quantity: one gets nothing, I get four years," Battaglino said (via Il Messaggero). "I am happy for him (Jannik Sinner) and wish him all the success in the world; but for me, I am really disappointed, very much so."

The Italian added that he was now working with the family business. He explained that many lower-ranked players shared the same coaches and physiotherapists. Battaglino also said the players shared rooms, flights, and taxis, highlighting the risks of contamination.

“For the sport, I am a pariah. And in fact, I have changed my life since February 2023, when I was suspended: I work in the family business, and I consider myself lucky. To say, if I had been a tennis coach, I would have been ruined.

"If you are not among the top in the world and have a coach, you share him with eight other athletes, same with the physiotherapist. And then, the rooms with other players, the night flights, the shared taxis to get to the tournament. The risks of contamination are numerous,” he added.

Battaglino also spoke about how it irked him that people thought of him as a doper when he didn't even know what clostebol was prior to testing positive for it. He said:

“It bothers me to know that someone might think I am a ‘doper’, that I took substances to cheat: it is not so, I never did. When I tell the whole story, everyone says it is madness. And to think that when I read about Clostebol on the portal, I didn't even know what it was."

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"At the beginning, everything was more difficult" - Jannik Sinner about the difficulties of dealing with his doping case

Jannik Sinner (Source: Getty)

The details of Jannik Sinner's case were made public after the Italian clinched the Cincinnati Masters. He tested positive for the substance during the Indian Wells Masters earlier in the year and had been fighting the verdict since. While he received support from many after the public announcement in August, the Italian also faced harsh criticism from others over the verdict.

During a press conference ahead of his US Open semifinals, Sinner said that he faced difficulty in dealing with the situation until everything became better one day. He mentioned that he found comfort in his close ones during those times and thanked them for being with him.

Sinner said (via Punto de Break):

"At the beginning everything was more difficult, until from a certain day everything was better." [translated from Spanish]

"I have my team and my people who are close to me, you know, they know me well, they know that I always take refuge in people who know me and believe in me. It is a very important part of the process, so I am happy to have them with me, both on and off the court," he added.

Jannik Sinner went on to win the US Open, which was his second Major of the year and career. He currently sits comfortably at the top of the ATP rankings.

The Italian will next be seen in action at the China Open where he will be joined by the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, and Alexander Zverev.