Italian tennis fans would be in seventh heaven after the national teams’ triumphant November performances. Merely a week after the women lifted the Billie Jean King Cup, Jannik Sinner and co. successfully defended their Davis Cup title.
Former Australian player John Millman praised the Italian Tennis Federation for the role they played in providing numerous opportunities for their players to excel in the ATP and WTA Tours. He believes that the federation’s efforts have also helped Italy fall in love with watching tennis too.
The Italian Federation, as well as the Italian tennis community deserve the success they are having. Great tennis community – who love the sport, huge investment in Futures, Challengers and ATP/WTAs. Providing so many opportunities for people to watch and play tennis. https://t.co/LPcSmxY8fi
— John Millman (@johnhmillman) November 24, 2024
However, his lofty praise of the country’s dedication to tennis was soon shot down by fellow social media users. Naysayers shed light on the controversial incident involving Sinner’s doping case to disregard Millman’s comments.
What about the Clostebol mate?
— Pavvy G (@pavyg) November 25, 2024
So doping is not a problem, even if you doping as long as you win. As long as you can win. Then all the sponsors will come and hug you.
Oh,that‘s so good— pete_shaw (@petexiao1) November 25, 2024
Several fans accused members of the Italian Tennis Federation of being corrupt.
i’m italian
and I know the corruption and malfeasance that exists in my country
these results are not clean.— lauraReevi (@LauraReevi50320) November 25, 2024
I’ m italian , not every single word is true . Expensive to Watch ( more than slams , absurd prices for Roma and Torino , i prefer to go to MC , Bercy and RG), to practice . The only investements are on Padel . And a lot of corruption
— Frida2012 (@Frida2012218637) November 25, 2024
Yes, Italian tennis players have been witnessing a lot of success in the recent past. Top-ranked superstars such as Jannik Sinner and Jasmine Paolini have set a new standard for tennis in the country.
But on the flip side, their success is a rare one which is not being celebrated by many. It could also do with the fact that Italian sports has often been mired with doping controversies apart from the Sinner one.
Sinner, Errani, Palomino some examples of doping affecting Italian sport
Sara Errani, one of the members of the Billie Jean King Cup 2024 winning team, served a 10-month suspension over testing positive for Letrozole, a banned substance in August 2017.
Errani pleaded innocence with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which in turn, increased her original 2-month ban to 10 months. In fact, the Italian national anti-doping agency advocated for a 2-year ban. But Errani convinced CAS that the drug came into her body because of her lack of knowledge and her mother consuming it for a meal at home.
Outside of tennis, in 2022, Jose Luis Palomino – a former player of Serie A’s Atalanta soccer team – tested positive for Clostebol. Yes, the same substance which Sinner has taken, which led to him being suspended by ITIA for a week.
Clostebol is said to be used so much in Italian prescription drugs that they are easily available in drug stores. There are other drugs in this category, which is something Italy, its sports administrators and athletes, must be careful of.
Palomino was first suspended for his actions but was soon cleared of any wrongdoings by the WADA. His case has sparked hope among passionate Italian sports fans that a similar outcome could occur for Sinner.
In January 2025, WADA’s decision could finally resolve the controversy surrounding Sinner’s alleged use of banned substances. However, if the ruling does not favor him, Italian tennis could face significant challenges in the coming years—not only in restoring its reputation but also in finding another player as successful as Sinner.
