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Recent doping scandals involving top rank tennis pros Jannik Sinner Iga Swiatek has also been attracting the attention of fans and officials, urging one of the sport’s governing organizations to issue reminders to athletes about their shower policies.
International Tennis Integrity Agency The policy that requires players to shower “with a clear look at the chaperones that are constantly observing them” has been rounded on social media and has received harsh criticism from fans online.
Italian Giannik Sinner is active during a match against Marcos Giron in the United States during the third round of the men’s singles held at the 2025 Australian Open in Melbourne Park on January 18, 2025. (Mike Frey-Imagn image)
Sports Illustrated senior author Jon Wertheim first shared a policy reminder on social media on April 18th. He shared a screenshot of X’s policy with the caption that read, “This is… extraordinary.”
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“ITIA and ITF have been tirelessly acting to allow post-match showers to configure acceptable delays in doping control, especially when the lack of showers can have a detrimental effect on the health and wellbeing of players,” the statement read.
“But it’s not right to shower, so ITIA asks players to always take a shower while taking a shower. If you feel that monitoring the shower is uncomfortable during the shower, we recommend that you consider whether you need to shower before providing a doping control sample.
In response to the post, fans criticized the policy. One wrote in response, “WTF ??? This sport is insane. This is beyond eerie.”
“This is unacceptable,” another added.
Iga Swiatek will appeal to the chair referee on Friday, March 14th, 2025 during his semi-final match against Mirra Andreeva at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California. (image)
Tennis pro caught pleasing the judge to tell him to “wear deodorant.”
But for others, the policy was nothing new.
Former Australian tennis Prorennae Stubbs said the policy is always to “open the door” and take a shower.
“Every minute we left the court, people were with us, like we were showering, people were with us. I don’t know what they’re putting out right now,” she added.
“Isn’t this always the case?” added Rajeev Ram, the winner of the American Tennis Pro and six-time Grand Slam Doubles.
The following day, Wertheim shared an answer from ITIA dealing with the controversy over recognized “unpleasant” policies.
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“We recognize that some of the doping anti-doping testing processes are offensive, but until the test is complete, a statement is written, as is the case with all WADA-compliant sports (not just tennis) that are notified for testing after the match.
“This is a requirement for the global doping code. As we understand that it may take time for players to create samples after a match, there is an acceptable delay in reporting to doping control stations, including cooling and showers. As player welfare is a priority, it is important to continue advocating for the right to do this.
Italian Giannik Sinner is active during the match against Ben Shelton of the United States in the men’s singles semi-finals held at the 2025 Australian Open in Melbourne Park on January 24, 2025. (Mike Frey-Imagn image)
The sinner is due to return next month after he comes Three month suspension issued To test positive for anabolic steroids that were banned on two separate occasions a year ago. Swiatek returned from a month’s suspension in December after testing positive for trimethazidine.
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