“Shocked” Simona Halep’s ex-coach Patrick Mouratoglou accuses ITIA of “double standard” as Jannik Sinner escapes hardships after doping charges

The tennis world has been thrown into turmoil following a report released by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) on August 20. The report announced that Jannik Sinner had been cleared of doping charges after an investigation that lasted roughly four months. Patrick Mouratoglou, former coach of Simona Halep, was among those who believed that the ITIA’s handling of Sinner’s case differed significantly from its treatment of other players, including Halep.

In a lengthy LinkedIn post, Patrick Mouratoglou expressed his “shock” at the ITIA’s verdict regarding Jannik Sinner and accused the organization of applying double standards. He compared the situation to how the ITIA handled Simona Halep’s case, where she was handed a four-year ban after tests detected the banned substance roxadustat.

Halep challenged the ruling by appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which eventually reduced her ban to nine months. Similar to Sinner, the banned substance had unknowingly entered her body.

“The fact that needs highlighting is that there is a double standard – that two players in the same situation are treated oppositely – and this is wrong. The rules should apply to everyone. For one player, who tested positive at more than a minimal rate of the substance, the ITIA decided to put it all over the press and make it public. For another player, they kept it secret. Why? It makes absolutely no sense.”

Patrick Mouratoglou wrote on LinkedIn

The 54-year-old coach criticized the ITIA for making Halep’s case public while keeping Sinner’s case private, calling it “absolutely senseless.” Mouratoglou also stated that while he believes the ITIA handled Sinner’s case correctly, all players deserve to be treated equally.

“I think the way ITIA has handled Jannik’s case is the right one because, until he’s proven guilty or innocent, I don’t think it should be made public. Because after all, then the damage is done and it’s so hard to recover from it. If Jannik did nothing, it shouldn’t be made public.“

Patrick Mouratoglou added

Sinner tested positive twice in March this year, and during an investigation by an independent tribunal, he explained that the banned steroid Clostebol entered his body through a massage performed by his physiotherapist.

In conclusion, Patrick Mouratoglou’s critique of the ITIA’s handling of Jannik Sinner’s doping case highlights significant concerns within the tennis world about the consistency and fairness of anti-doping enforcement. As the debate continues, it is clear that the integrity of the sport depends on transparent and equitable treatment for all players, regardless of their status or standing in the tennis hierarchy.

Patrick Mouratoglou says ITIA’s different treatment hurt players

Patrick Mouratoglou continued his critique by condemning the ITIA for its “lack of transparency,” which he believes leaves players as victims of unfair treatment. He called for equal treatment of both male and female players, criticizing the organization for publicly disclosing Simona Halep’s case from the outset.

The other shocking thing is that they wrote that Jannik appealed to a tribunal and his suspension was finally lifted due to that ‘tribunal’ finding in his favour. Well, it’s NOT a tribunal. Technically, it’s just a private company hired by the ITIA. Patrick Mouratoglou wrote

Mouratoglou highlighted that the ‘real’ tribunal is the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which conducted the thorough investigation in Halep’s case. He noted that Halep was initially provisionally suspended, had her appeal denied, but was ultimately found not guilty by CAS.

What they have called the tribunal here is just basically them and themselves, making the test, taking decisions on the player (suspension or not) and then concluding with the pieces they have within themselves. In the end, they basically suspended him and lifted the suspension within a few days of each other.Patrick Mouratoglou added

Mouratoglou, who was coaching Halep when she tested positive for roxadustat, expressed a sense of responsibility in an Instagram video posted last year. He noted that Halep had claimed the substance entered her body through a contaminated collagen supplement provided by his team.

Halep was initially provisionally suspended and faced numerous delays in her appeal process. After many months, she was eventually exonerated by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). However, unlike Sinner’s case, the entire process was publicly scrutinized.