Spray that caused tennis star Jannik Sinner's failed drug tests has 'DOPING' warning

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