Karen Moorhouse, Director of the ITIA: “In the case of Sinner as well as Swiatek, the rules were followed. The public mistakenly believed that we were announcing positive tests, whereas in reality, we were announcing provisional suspensions.”

Accused of negligence or even complacency by several observers regarding the handling of the Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek cases, both of whom tested positive in anti-doping tests before being cleared. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) recently spoke out through its director, Karen Moorhouse.

According to her, the issue primarily stems from a misunderstanding by the public.

“We were wrongly believed to be announcing positive tests, while in fact, we were announcing provisional suspensions. In the case of both Sinner and Swiatek, the rules were followed: The players appealed their provisional suspensions within the 10-day period provided by our regulations, and since their appeal was successful, the provisional suspensions were not made public. Some sports, such as athletics, choose to announce provisional suspensions immediately. Others, particularly team sports, never disclose them. For now, tennis has adopted the ten-day rule, but in the future, this rule could change. There was no justification to pursue any member of their entourage, as the key element. Intentional use of banned substances was missing.”

The ITIA’s response aims to clarify its approach, yet the handling of these cases remains controversial. While they are adhering to current tennis regulations, which allow a delay before public announcements, this process continues to fuel suspicion and confusion.