Deadline approaching for appeals in case that exonerated US Open champion Jannik Sinner from doping

ROME (AP) — Time is running out for appeals to be filed in the case that exonerated U.S. Open champion Jannik Sinner from doping.

The World Anti-Doping Agency and Nado Italia, Italy’s anti-doping agency, likely have only a few more days to challenge the decision announced by the International Tennis Integrity Agency on Aug. 20.

There is a 21-day window to appeal that started when the parties received the decision. Any appeal would be filed to the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Sinner tested positive twice for an anabolic steroid in March but was not suspended because the ITIA determined the banned performance-enhancer entered his system unintentionally through a massage from his physiotherapist.

The doping case was kept secret until last month’s announcement and the top-ranked Sinner went on to beat Taylor Fritz in the U.S. Open final on Sunday.

An appeal could jeopardize his U.S. Open title but Sinner and his legal team have provided detailed scientific evidence to show that his explanation is credible.

Sinner said after winning his second Grand Slam title that the months before his case was resolved were not easy.

“It was very difficult for me to enjoy in certain moments,” he said, “so whoever knows me better, they know that something was wrong. But during this tournament, slowly I restarted to feel a little bit more how I am as a person.”

While other players have expressed concern with how Sinner's case was kept secret, WADA and Nado Italia would likely be interested only in the scientific details.

An appeal verdict at CAS could come quickly — even within just a few months — if the parties agree to cooperate. At least that's how it worked in another high-profile doping case in tennis involving Maria Sharapova.

Sharapova tested positive at the Australian Open in January 2016 for the newly-banned heart medication meldonium. She was banned for two years in June that year by the International Tennis Federation.

The Russian star appealed to CAS, had an appeal hearing in New York before three judges that September, and four weeks later got the verdict that cut her ban to 15 months.

The entire process for Sharapova with CAS took just four months — far shorter than most doping cases, which typically last about one year. The timeline can stall with the complexities of picking a judging panel, finding a hearing date and parties exchanging documents and evidence from expert witnesses.

During the Indian Wells hard-court event in March, Sinner tested positive for low levels of a metabolite of Clostebol, a banned anabolic steroid that can be used for ophthalmological and dermatological use. It’s the same drug for which San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. was suspended by MLB in 2022.

Sinner tested positive again eight days later in an out-of-competition sample.

He was provisionally suspended twice by the tennis integrity body because of those test results, but he successfully appealed twice to an independent tribunal judge and was allowed to keep competing on tour.

Sinner said his test results happened because his fitness trainer purchased an over-the-counter spray called Trofodermin in Italy that contained Clostebol and gave it to Sinner’s physiotherapist to treat a cut on the physiotherapist’s finger. The physiotherapist then treated Sinner without wearing gloves.

The ITIA said it accepted Sinner’s explanation, after 10 interviews with the player and his entourage, and the independent panel agreed at a hearing on Aug. 15.

Sinner later announced that he had fired his two trainers.

While other players wondered whether Sinner was accorded special treatment, most believed he wasn’t trying to dope.

“You can understand why people are upset about it. In anti-doping, it sounds so ridiculous,” said Travis Tygart, CEO of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which wasn’t involved in the case. “But the science is such that, if the facts are actually proven out, it is actually plausible.”

If Sinner did lose in an appeal case to CAS, he would likely face a maximum ban of two years instead of four. Four-year bans are usually reserved for athletes unable to show their positive doping test was unintentional.

Sinner provided a clear explanation to an independent tribunal in London, which judges cases brought by the tennis integrity body.

Any possible ban would likely be backdated to March.

Neither WADA nor Nado Italia tend to announce appeals, so it would likely be up to CAS to communicate if there is a case brought before the sports court.

In addition, Giovanni Fontana, an Italian lawyer who has worked on about 100 doping cases over 30 years, recently told The Associated Press that Sinner's two trainers could risk a separate inquiry in Italy — pointing to the four-year suspension for a club doctor at an Italian soccer team in 2018 for administering Trofodermin to a player.

Dunbar reported from Geneva. AP National Writer Eddie Pells in Denver and AP Tennis Writer Howard Fendrich in New York contributed to this report.

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

Jannik Sinner, of Italy, and Taylor Fritz, of the United States, listen to comments during the trophy ceremony after Sinner defeated Fritz in the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Jannik Sinner, of Italy, reacts after defeating Taylor Fritz, of the United States, to win the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Jannik Sinner, of Italy, reacts after defeating Taylor Fritz, of the United States, to win the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Jannik Sinner, of Italy, kisses the championship trophy after defeating Taylor Fritz, of the United States, in the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

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)

Jannik Sinner, of Italy, holds the championship trophy after defeating Taylor Fritz, of the United States, in the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

A pro-Palestinian protest by Microsoft employees interrupted the company’s 50th anniversary celebration Friday, the latest backlash over the tech industry’s work to supply artificial intelligence technology to the Israeli military.

The protest happened as Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman was presenting product updates and a long-term vision for the company's AI assistant product, Copilot, to an audience that included Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and former CEO Steve Ballmer.

“Mustafa, shame on you,” shouted Microsoft employee Ibtihal Aboussad as she walked toward the stage and Suleyman paused his speech. “You claim that you care about using AI for good but Microsoft sells AI weapons to the Israeli military. Fifty-thousand people have died and Microsoft powers this genocide in our region.”

“Thank you for your protest, I hear you,” Suleyman said. Aboussad continued, shouting that he and “all of Microsoft” had blood on their hands. She also threw onto the stage a keffiyeh scarf, which has become a symbol of support for Palestinian people, before being escorted out of the event.

A second protester, Microsoft employee Vaniya Agrawal, interrupted another part of the celebration during which Gates, Ballmer and current CEO Satya Nadella were on stage — the first public gathering since 2014 of the three men who have been Microsoft's CEO.

An investigation by The Associated Press revealed earlier this year that AI models from Microsoft and OpenAI had been used as part of an Israeli military program to select bombing targets during the recent wars in Gaza and Lebanon. The story also contained details of an errant Israeli airstrike in 2023 that struck a vehicle carrying members of a Lebanese family, killing three young girls and their grandmother.

In February, five Microsoft employees were ejected from a meeting with CEO Satya Nadella for protesting the contracts. While the February event was an internal meeting, Friday's protest was far more public — a livestreamed showcase of the company's past and future.

“We provide many avenues for all voices to be heard," said a statement from the company Friday. “Importantly, we ask that this be done in a way that does not cause a business disruption. If that happens, we ask participants to relocate. We are committed to ensuring our business practices uphold the highest standards.”

Microsoft declined to say whether it would take further action.

CORRECTS DATE - A pro-Palestinian demonstrator holds a kufiyyeh as they interrupt Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman during a presentation of the company's AI assistant, Copilot, ahead of a 50th Anniversary presentation at Microsoft headquarters, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Redmond, Wash. (AP Photo/Jason Redmond)

CORRECTS DATE - A pro-Palestinian demonstrator is escorted away by security as they interrupt Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman during a presentation of the company's AI assistant, Copilot, ahead of a 50th Anniversary presentation at Microsoft headquarters, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Redmond, Wash. (AP Photo/Jason Redmond)