Jannik Sinner accepts three-month doping ban after settlement with Wada

MILAN – World No. 1 Jannik Sinner has accepted an immediate three-month doping ban after the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) said on Feb 15 they had reached a settlement on his period of ineligibility, making him free to return before the French Open in May.

Wada had appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against an independent tribunal’s decision last August to clear the Italian of wrongdoing, after the three-time Grand Slam winner failed two drug tests.

Sinner, who retained his Australian Open crown in January, had tested positive for the anabolic agent clostebol which he said had entered his system from a member of his support team through massages and sports therapy.

The latest development meant that his ban began on Feb 9 and will end on May 4, while he can return to training on April 13. The French Open main draw is scheduled to begin on May 25.

“Wada confirms that it has entered into a case resolution agreement in the case of Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner, with the player accepting a three-month period of ineligibility for an anti-doping rule violation,” it said in a statement.

“Wada accepts that Mr Sinner did not intend to cheat and that his exposure to clostebol did not provide any performance-enhancing benefit and took place without his knowledge as the result of negligence of members of his entourage.

“However, under the Code and by virtue of CAS precedent, an athlete bears responsibility for the entourage’s negligence.”

The case was originally set to be heard by CAS in April, and Sinner was in danger of being banned for up to two years.

Wada has now also formally withdrawn its appeal to CAS after they reached a settlement while they did not seek disqualification of his results.

“This case had been hanging over me now for nearly a year and the process still had a long time to run with a decision maybe only at the end of the year,” Sinner said in a statement.

“I have always accepted that I am responsible for my team and realise Wada’s strict rules are an important protection for the sport I love. On that basis, I have accepted Wada’s offer to resolve these proceedings on the basis of a three-month sanction.”

The 23-year-old Italian is the second high-ranked player to accept a doping ban in recent months after Poland’s world No. 2 Iga Swiatek accepted a one-month suspension, having tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine in August 2024.

Swiatek had been provisionally suspended from Sept 12 until Oct 4, missing three tournaments as a result while she also forfeited prize money from the Cincinnati Open, the tournament directly following the test.

However, the decision did not go down well with the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), an organisation established by Novak Djokovic.

“The ‘system’ is not a system. It’s a club. Supposed case-by-case discretion is, in fact, merely cover for tailored deals, unfair treatment, and inconsistent rulings,” the PTPA said.

“It’s not just the different results for different players. It’s the lack of transparency. The lack of process. The lack of consistency...

“This bias is unacceptable for all athletes and shows a deep disrespect for every sport and its fans.”

Australian Nick Kyrgios, who had said the two doping incidents were “disgusting” for the sport, said it was a “sad day for tennis” after several other players received longer bans for similar positive tests.

“Obviously Sinner’s team have done everything in their power to just go ahead and take a three-month ban, no titles lost, no prize money lost. Guilty or not? Sad day for tennis. Fairness in tennis does not exist,” Kyrgios wrote on social media platform X.

Sinner’s lawyer Jamie Singer, meanwhile, said Wada had confirmed the facts determined by the independent tribunal.

“It is clear that Jannik had no intent, no knowledge, and gained no competitive advantage. Regrettably, errors made by members of his team led to this situation,” Singer said.

Besides the French Open, Sinner will be also be able to play in front of his home fans at the Italian Open which kicks off just after the end of his suspension and is the last big clay-court tournament before Roland Garros.

The Italian Tennis and Padel Federation president, Angelo Binaghi, said the ban will mark “the end of a nightmare” for Sinner, as reported by The Guardian.

Binaghi added that the settlement “demonstrates Jannik’s innocence” and that “all of Italy” will welcome him back at the Italian Open. REUTERS, AFP