Jannik Sinner's doping case is already decided in court of public opinion, Italy's tennis chief says

TURIN, Italy (AP) — A final verdict in the doping case involving top-ranked Jannik Sinner likely won’t come until early next year.

For the president of the Italian tennis federation, though, the case has already been won — in the court of public opinion.

“Apart from a few imbeciles, people all around the world understand what happened,” Angelo Binaghi said in an interview with The Associated Press at the ATP Finals on Wednesday. “No matter what type of decision is issued, there’s no doubt that Sinner is one of the cleanest and most honest athletes in world sport.”

Sinner is playing at home for the first time since it was announced before his U.S. Open title that he tested positive for an anabolic steroid in two separate drug tests in March.

A decision by an independent tribunal to clear Sinner of wrongdoing was appealed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in September and the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is expected to make a final ruling on the case in 2025.

Sinner’s explanation was that the banned performance-enhancer entered his system unintentionally through a massage from his physiotherapist, who had used a spray containing the steroid to treat his own cut finger.

WADA is seeking a ban of one to two years for Sinner.

“It is WADA’s view that the finding of ‘no fault or negligence’ was not correct under the applicable rules,” WADA said in September.

Sinner said last week in response to a question from the AP that he has not been notified yet by CAS of a hearing date.

“No, we don’t know nothing yet,” Sinner said. “Look, I’ve been in this position three times now already, so it’s not that great a place to be. But it always came out very positively so I’m very positive.”

Still, a one- or two-year ban could have a major impact on Sinner’s career, even though he’s only 23.

“We’re confident that whenever the verdict is issued, he will be completely cleared,” Binaghi said.

Marco Lavazza, the vice chairman of coffee maker Lavazza, indicated the company plans to stand by Sinner as one of his main sponsors.

“The (doping case) shocked us. Then, like everyone else, we realized that it was a mishap,” Lavazza told Italian daily Il Giornale. “But I don’t have any doubts over who Jannik Sinner is.”

Sinner’s fitness trainer, Umberto Ferrara, provided the spray containing the banned substance to physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi. Sinner announced before the U.S. Open that he had fired Ferrara and Naldi but neither was sanctioned.

Sinner's fellow Italian player Matteo Berrettini plans to have Ferrara work with him in 2025.

“There was no premeditation on their part. Still, it was negligence,” Binaghi said of Naldi and Ferrara, adding that since Ferrara is a qualified pharmacist, his role in the case was “very serious.”

Meanwhile, Sinner — who claimed his first two Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open and U.S. Open this year — just keeps on winning.

He won his opening two matches at the ATP Finals in straight sets over Alex de Minaur and Taylor Fritz and next faces Daniil Medvedev on Thursday.

Sinner’s matches have regularly been drawing bigger TV audiences than top soccer games in Italy, and his quick rise to the top resulted in local fans buying up nearly all of the tickets for the finals.

“There are no foreign spectators; they’re all Italian,” Binaghi said. “We have 30,000 fewer foreigners than last year. Divide that by the 15 sessions and that’s 2,000 less for each session.”

The ability to sell more tickets to a wider audience is one of the reasons why the ATP Finals could be moved to Milan after the five-year contract with Turin expires next year.

A new arena being built in Milan for the 2026 Olympics would have 4,000 more seats than the Inalpi arena in Turin.

“We’ve proposed keeping the finals in Italy for another five years,” Binaghi said, adding that keeping the tournament in Turin remains an option, too.

Binaghi said he expects the ATP to announce a decision on the tournament’s future by Sunday.

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

Italy's Jannik Sinner holds the trophy as ATP world best player at the ATP World Tour Finals at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. Sinner was presented with the trophy for finishing the year ranked No. 1. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Italy's Jannik Sinner returns the ball to United States' Taylor Fritz during their singles tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Italy's Jannik Sinner returns the ball to United States' Taylor Fritz during their singles tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Italy's Jannik Sinner returns the ball to United States' Taylor Fritz during their singles tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Supporters of Italy's Jannik Sinner cheers during the singles tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals between Australia's Alex de Minaur and Italy's Jannik Sinner, at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Italy's Jannik Sinner holds the trophy as ATP world best player at the ATP World Tour Finals at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. Sinner was presented with the trophy for finishing the year ranked No. 1. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

A supporter of Italy's Jannik Sinner holds up a sign during the singles tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals between Australia's Alex de Minaur and Italy's Jannik Sinner, at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Italy's Jannik Sinner celebrates after winning the singles tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals against United States' Taylor Fritz, at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Supporters of Italy's Jannik Sinner cheers during the singles tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals between Australia's Alex de Minaur and Italy's Jannik Sinner, at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Italy's Jannik Sinner holds the trophy as ATP world best player at the ATP World Tour Finals at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. Sinner was presented with the trophy for finishing the year ranked No. 1. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

BANGKOK (AP) — Shares rose in European trading after a retreat in Asia on Thursday following a report showing inflation in the U.S. was roughly as expected last month.

Germany's DAX surged 1.2% to 19,223.90 and the CAC 40 in Paris advanced 0.8% to 7,274.79. Britain's FTSE 100 edged 0.1% higher, to 8,042.07.

The futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average were up 0.2%.

The dollar was trading at 156.10 Japanese yen, up from 155.49 yen, reflecting expectations that the greenback will gain against other currencies under policies anticipated with the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump.

Japan's Nikkei 225 index fell 0.5% to 38,535.70 and the Kospi in South Korea gained 0.1% to 2,418.86. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.4% to 8,224.00.

Chinese markets tumbled, with the Hang Seng in Hong Kong falling 2% to 19,435.95. The Shanghai Composite index lost 1.7% to 3,379.84.

Bangkok's SET lost 0.2% and Taiwan's Taiex fell 0.6%, while the Sensex in India shed 0.2%.

A stronger dollar tends to put strain on other economies, noted Stephen Innes of Capital Economics. The Thai baht has also weakened against the dollar since the U.S. election, as has the Chinese yuan, or renminbi, which now stands at 7.2245 per dollar and was trading at about 7 yuan per dollar in early October.

“For Asia, particularly those economies closely linked to China, the dollar's dominance is poised to become an economic wrecking ball,” he said in a commentary. “Countries with hefty USD-denominated debt are bracing for impact,” he added.

On Wednesday, U.S. stocks drifted to a mixed finish after the latest inflation update boosted hopes that a cut to interest rates next month will bring more help for the economy.

The S&P 500 was nearly unchanged, losing than 0.1% in its first loss since a big rally erupted after the Nov. 5 election. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite slipped 0.3%.

U.S. consumer inflation accelerated in October to 2.6% from 2.4%, but an underlying measure called “core inflation” did not rise. Such core inflation can be a better predictor of future trends, economists say, so the figures added to expectations for more help from the Federal Reserve.

T rump’s victory in the presidential election has raised uncertainty over the Fed’s future course. The U.S. central bank began cutting interest rates from their two-decade high in September to keep the job market hummin g after bringing inflation nearly all the way down to its target of 2%. It cut again earlier this month, and traders now see an improved probability of roughly 80% for a third cut at its meeting next month, according to data from CME Group.

Economists say Trump's preferences for lower tax rates, higher tariffs and less regulation could ultimately lead to higher U.S. government debt and inflation, but also bring faster economic growth.

While lower interest rates can give a boost to the economy and to prices for investments, they can also fuel inflation.

In the crypto market, bitcoin was trading at $91,590 after crossing above $93,000 as cryptocurrencies generally soared. Trump has embraced cryptocurrencies, pledging to make the U.S. the crypto capital of the world.

In other dealings early Thursday, U.S. benchmark crude oil shed 9 cents to $68.34 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, the international standard, gave up 2 cents to $72.26 per barrel.

The euro fell to $1.0513 from $1.0587.

FILE - A sign marking the intersection of Broadway and Wall Street is shown in New York's Financial District on Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)

Currency traders work at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A currency trader passes by a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), left, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Currency traders work at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)