US Open: The spray that caused Jannik Sinner's failed drug tests has 'DOPING' warning

ROME (AP) — The word “DOPING” is printed in capital letters inside a red circle with a slash through it on the box containing the over-the-counter spray sold in Italy that caused No. 1-ranked tennis player Jannik Sinner to fail two drug tests in March.

Sinner was cleared last month and will play Jack Draper in the U.S. Open semifinals Friday.

Trofodermin, which contains the banned anabolic steroid Clostebol, is available without a prescription in Sinner’s home country — and that's where the 23-year-old's physical trainer bought the medication that led to a trace amount of Clostebol showing up in his test results.

A small can of Trofodermin was purchased for 14.50 euros ($16) at a Rome pharmacy this week by an Associated Press reporter.

The product is meant for treating cuts and scrapes and contains an underlined warning in Italian on the medication guide that comes inside the box: “For those taking part in sports: use of the drug without therapeutic needs constitutes doping and can result in positive anti-doping tests."

Giovanni Fontana, an Italian lawyer who represents athletes facing doping charges, has worked on about 100 such cases over 30 years. Ten of his cases resulted from positive tests for Clostebol that were traced to Trofodermin; nine of those resulted in bans, Fontana said in an interview Thursday.

“When an athlete tests positive for Clostebol, the first thing I ask them is if they used Trofodermin,” Fontana said. “And if they haven’t, I tell them to go check if a family member or partner has, because it’s transmitted so easily.”

Sinner was not suspended for his positive tests after it was determined the Clostebol entered his system unintentionally through a massage from his physiotherapist, Giacomo Naldi. Sinner said his fitness trainer, Umberto Ferrara, purchased Trofodermin in Italy and gave it to Naldi for a cut on Naldi's finger. Naldi then treated Sinner while not wearing gloves.

Sinner said before the U.S. Open he fired Ferrara and Naldi.

“In my mind, I know that I haven’t done anything wrong,” Sinner said. "I always respect these rules — and I always will respect these rules — of anti-doping.”

Ferrara, who is also a qualified pharmacist, and Naldi had been at Sinner’s side during his rise, which included his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January and arrival at No. 1 in June.

According to Italian law No. 376 from 2000, all products containing substances on the World Anti-Doping Association's banned list come with the printed “DOPING” warning.

“But with Trofodermin, the mark is only on the box and not the product itself,” Fontana said. “So if a family member purchases the drug and throws away the box, there’s a danger that the warning isn’t seen.”

Fontana, who represented figure skater Carolina Kostner and cyclist Filippo Simeoni — an early Lance Armstrong accuser — said Sinner could sue Ferrara and Naldi in Italy.

“It would be a civil case in which he seeks damages for the impact on his image, for the legal costs, for the anxiousness and stress he had to deal with,” Fontana said.

WADA and Nado Italia, Italy’s anti-doping agency, could appeal the decision in Sinner’s case. Nado Italia appealed all of the Clostebol and Trofodermin cases that Fontana worked on, the lawyer said.

Fontana also suggested that Nado Italia could open proceedings against Ferrara and Naldi — pointing to the four-year suspension for a club doctor at an Italian soccer club in 2018 for administering Trofodermin to a player.

In the United States, Clostebol is listed as a “controlled substance,” meaning the government considers it to have a potential for abuse, and it can only be sold with a doctor’s prescription.

Clostebol is listed in the anabolic androgenic steroids section on page 5 of WADA's 24-page list of banned substances.

And “Clostebol” appears four times on the Trofodermin box and can bought by the AP (the product is also available as a cream).

The International Tennis Integrity Agency investigation found that Sinner had a trace amount of Clostebol in his system, a point he illustrated before the U.S. Open began by using eight fingers to count out the number of zeroes before the “1” in the amount, .000000001.

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

A photo of the medication guide of Trofodermin, a medical product meant for treating cuts and scrapes, reading among its indications the sentences: "For those taking part in sports: use of the drug without therapeutic needs constitutes doping and can result in positive antidoping tests," and "Clostebol acetate belongs to a group of medicines called steroids.", in Rome, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

A photo of a pack of Trofodermin, a medical product meant for treating cuts and scrapes, which contains the anabolic steroid Clostebol, a substance listed in the World Anti-Doping Association's banned substances, in Rome, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Jannik Sinner, of Italy, pumps his fist after winning a point against Daniil Medvedev, of Russia, during the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

A photo of the medication guide of Trofodermin, a medical product meant for treating cuts and scrapes, reading among its indications the underlined sentence: "For those taking part in sports: use of the drug without therapeutic needs constitutes doping and can result in positive antidoping tests", in Rome, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

A photo of a pack of Trofodermin, a medical product meant for treating cuts and scrapes, which contains the anabolic steroid Clostebol, a substance listed in the World Anti-Doping Association's banned substances, in Rome, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

A photo of a pack of Trofodermin, a medical product meant for treating cuts and scrapes, which contains the anabolic steroid Clostebol, a substance listed in the World Anti-Doping Association's banned substances, in Rome, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Jannik Sinner, of Italy, returns against Daniil Medvedev, of Russia, during the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

A pack of Trofodermin, a medical product meant for treating cuts and scrapes, which contains the anabolic steroid Clostebol, a substance listed in the World Anti-Doping Association's banned substances, is seen on the counter of a pharmacy in Rome, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Dampf)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — “Hacks” won the comedy series at Sunday's Emmy Awards, topping “The Bear," which took home several of the night's honors.

“Shogun” won the best drama series win, collecting a whopping 18 Emmys for its first season, just one of several historic wins.

Hiroyuki Sanada won best actor in a drama for “Shogun” on Sunday night at the Emmy Awards, and Anna Sawai won best actress as they became the first two Japanese actors to win Emmys.

Their wins gave the FX series momentum going into one of the night's top awards, where “Shogun” won best drama series.

“The Bear” came back for seconds in a big way at the ceremony four times including best actor, best supporting actor and best supporting actress in a comedy, while British upstart “Baby Reindeer” won four of its own, including best limited series.

The star of FX's “The Bear” Jeremy Allen White won best actor in a comedy for the second straight year, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach repeated as best supporting actor.

A surprise came when Liza Colón-Zayas won best supporting actor over major competition.

“How could I have thought it would be possible to be in the presence of Meryl Streep and Carol Burnett,” Colón-Zayas said as tears welled in her eyes as she accepted the award on the stage of the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

She is the first Latina to win in the category.

“To all the Latinas who are looking at me,” she said, “keep believing and vote.”

Netflix’s darkly quirky “Baby Reindeer” won best actor and best writing for the show’s creator and star Richard Gadd and best supporting actress for Jessica Gunning, who plays his tormentor.

Accepting the best limited series award, Gadd urged the makers of television to take chances.

“The only constant across any success in television is good storytelling," he said. "Good storytelling that speaks to our times. So take risks, push boundaries. Explore the uncomfortable. Dare to fail in order to achieve.”

“Baby Reindeer” is based on a one man-stage show in which Gadd describes being sexually abused along with other emotional struggles.

Accepting that award, he said, “no matter how bad it gets, it always gets better.”

The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly as Gadd has.

Jodie Foster won her first Emmy to go with her two Oscars when she took best actress in a limited series for “True Detective: Night Country.”

The creator of “The Bear” was also a repeat winner. Christopher Storer took his second straight Emmy for directing, an award handed out by reunited “Happy Days” co-stars Ron Howard and Henry Winkler.

White said backstage that he was watching in the wings as Colón-Zayas won and “that was just the greatest.”

He also shouted out two acting wins the show had already scored at last weekend's Creative Arts Emmy Awards, when Jamie Lee Curtis won best guest actress in a comedy for playing his mother, and Jon Bernthal won best guest actor for playing his big brother.

“The Bear” won six times including most of the top comedy categories at the strike-delayed Emmys in January.

While the third season of FX’s “The Bear” has already dropped, the trio won their second Emmys for its second, in which White’s chef Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto attempts to turn his family’s grungy Chicago sandwich shop into an elite restaurant. It could still win more Sunday night including best comedy series.

The father-son hosting duo of Eugene and Dan Levy in their monologue at the top of the show mocked the very dramatic “The Bear” being in the comedy category.

“In honor of ‘The Bear’ we will be making no jokes,” Eugene Levy said, to laughs.

Jean Smart won best actress in a comedy for “Hacks.” She has won for all three seasons of “Hacks,” and has six Emmys overall.

She beat nominees including Ayo Edebiri, who as co-star of “The Bear” moved from supporting actress, which she won in January, to lead actress.

Coming into the show the big story was “Shogun,” which had already taken the most Emmys for a show in a single season with 14 at the Creative Arts ceremony.

The FX series about lordly politicking in feudal Japan can still win best drama series.

If “Shogun” faces competition for the best drama prize, it could come for the sixth and final season of “The Crown,” the only show among the nominees that has won before in a category recently dominated by the retired “Succession.”

Elizabeth Debicki took best supporting actress in a drama for playing Princess Diana at the end of her life in the sixth and final season of the show.

“Playing this part, based on this unparalleled, incredible human being, has been my great privilege," Debicki said. "It’s been a gift.”

Billy Crudup won best actor in a drama for “The Morning Show.”

Streep wasn't the only Oscar winner trumped by a little-known name. Robert Downey Jr., the reigning best supporting actor winner for “Oppenheimer,” was considered the favorite to win best supporting actor in a limited series for “The Sympathizer,” but that award went to Lamorne Morris for “Fargo.”

“Robert Downey Jr. I have a poster of you in my house!” Morris said from the stage as he accepted his first Emmy.

Several awards were presented by themed teams from TV history, including sitcom dads George Lopez, Damon Wayans and Jesse Tyler Ferguson and TV moms Meredith Baxter, Connie Britton, and Susan Kelechi Watson.

For more on this year’s Emmy Awards, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/emmy-awards

Anna Sawai accepts the award for outstanding lead actress in a drama series for "Shogun" during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Richard Gadd accepts the award for outstanding lead actor in a limited or anthology series or movie for "Baby Reindeer" during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Jen Statsky, from left, Lucia Aniello, and Paul W. Downs accept the award for outstanding writing for a comedy series for "Hacks" during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Anna Sawai accepts the award for outstanding lead actress in a drama series for "Shogun" during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Richard Gadd poses in the press room with the award for outstanding writing for a limited or anthology series or movie for "Baby Reindeer" during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Liza Colón-Zayas arrives at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Ebon Moss-Bachrach accepts the award for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series for "The Bear" during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Ayo Edebiri arrives at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Billy Crudup accepts the award for outstanding supporting actor in a drama series for "The Morning Show" during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Yelena Yemchuk, left, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach arrive at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Hosts Eugene Levy, left, and Dan Levy speak during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Hosts Eugene Levy, left, and Dan Levy speak during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Skye P. Marshall, left, and Kathy Bates arrive at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

William Stanford Davis arrives at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Jesse Tyler Ferguson arrives at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

James Johnson, from left, Princess Daazhraii Johnson, and Cathy Tagnak Rexford arrive at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

Sterlin Harjo arrives at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Andrew Scott arrives at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

Dan Levy arrives at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Elizabeth Debicki accepts the award for outstanding supporting actress in a drama series for "The Crown" during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Ebon Moss-Bachrach accepts the award for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series for "The Bear" during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Selena Gomez arrives at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

Steve Martin, from left, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez present the award for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Hosts Eugene Levy, left, and Dan Levy speak during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Liza Colon-Zayas accepts the award for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series for "The Bear" during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

FILE - Eugene Levy, left, and Dan Levy appear at the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on Sept. 22, 2019. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

This image released by FX shows Hiroyuki Sanada in a scene from "Shogun." (Katie Yu/FX via AP)

This image released by FX shows Jeremy Allen White in a scene from "The Bear." (FX via AP)

This image released by Netflix shows Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth in "The Crown." (Alex Bailey/Netflix via AP)

This image released by FX shows Anna Sawai as Toda Mariko in a scene from "Shogun." (Katie Yu/FX via AP)

This image released by FX shows Cosmo Jarvis, left, and Nestor Carbonell in a scene from "Shogun." (Katie Yu/FX via AP)

This image released by FX shows Jon Hamm in a scene from "Fargo." (Michelle Faye/FX via AP)

This image released by Apple TV+ shows Jon Hamm in a scene from "The Morning Show." (Apple TV+ via AP)

This image released by Netflix shows Elizabeth Debicki as Diana, Princess of Wales, in a scene from "The Crown." (Keith Bernstein/Netflix via AP)

This image released by HBO shows Kali Reis, right, and Jodie Foster in a scene from "True Detective: Night Country." (HBO via AP)

This image released by FX shows Ayo Edebiri as Sydney Adamu in a scene from "The Bear." (FX via AP)

This image released by FX shows Hiroyuki Sanada as Yoshii Toranaga, center, in a scene from "Shogun." (Katie Yu/FX via AP)

FILE - A view of the stage at the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, Sept. 22, 2019. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)