Moraschini, Italian basketball player on Sinner's doping case: "Our cases are identical".
Jannik Sinner is the king of the tennis world. Winner of 9 titles and undisputed world number 1, the Transalpine is writing his own legend. However, his case is not unanimous. Indeed, since his positive drug test was revealed, even though the world number 1 has been cleared for the first time, some consider it indecent to let him compete.
So, while the outcome of the World Anti-Doping Agency's appeal is still pending, the Transalpine's case continues to provoke reaction and divide opinion. Especially as this case is reminiscent of others, and not just in tennis. One example is Ricardo Moraschini, an Italian basketball player whose case was almost identical.
After testing positive for the same substance and proving that it had been taken involuntarily, he nevertheless received a final one-year suspension. When questioned on the subject, he declared: "Our cases are identical, laconic: very small quantities, only linked to external contamination.
As it turned out, we were both unaware that someone close to us was using the drug taken from the pharmacy, in this case my girlfriend.
But I paid for it with a one-year suspension and dismissal from my club at the time (Olimpia Milano).
Anti-doping has a very strict system. But each individual case is treated with the subjectivity of those who judge it. At the time, I was suspended for three and a half months while awaiting judgment. Then I was disqualified for a year, even though the judge recognized that I had taken it involuntarily.
