Tennis Star Jannik Sinner, world number one, will be suspended until May 4 after reaching an agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which had requested a suspension of one to two years after the Italian tested positive for clostebol, a prohibited substance. “Under the terms of the agreement, Sinner will serve his period of ineligibility from 11:59 PM on February 9, 2025, until May 4, 2025,” WADA detailed in a statement.
The tennis player will miss the Masters 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami in March, and Monte Carlo and Madrid in April, but no Grand Slams. With 2,000 points ahead of Alexander Zverev (2nd) and more than 4,000 above Carlos Alcaraz (3rd), he could maintain the number 1 ranking despite his sanction.
Possible Return in Rome
He will likely return to competition at home, to play the Masters 1000 in Rome (May 7-18), just before Roland Garros, and “will be able to return to his official training on April 13,” WADA specified. “This case has been hanging over me for almost a year, and the procedure promised to be even longer with a decision perhaps only at the end of the year,” Sinner stated in a release.
“I always accepted the fact that I am responsible for my team. WADA’s strict rules are an important protection for the sport that I love,” he continued. “The nightmare ends,” added the Italian Federation (FITP), confirming he will compete in Rome. Sinner, 23, was acquitted by tennis authorities after two positive tests last March when they accepted the player’s explanations, which attributed it to accidental contamination.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) didn’t announce the case until August and exonerated him after accepting his explanation that his physiotherapist applied a spray containing clostebol to treat a hand wound and then gave him a massage without gloves. WADA appealed this decision in September, and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) was scheduled to issue a ruling in April, which ultimately won’t happen after the agreement reached.
“I haven’t done anything wrong, that’s why I’m still here. That’s why I’m still playing,” Sinner assured during the Australian Open, which he won for the second consecutive time in January. “In my head, I know exactly what happened and that’s how I block it out,” he added. “WADA accepts that Sinner had no intention to cheat, that his exposure to clostebol gave him no advantage in terms of performance enhancement, and that it occurred due to the negligence of his team members,” the agency stated in Saturday’s release.
“But according to the Code (World Anti-Doping) and under CAS jurisprudence, an athlete is responsible for their team’s negligence. Based on the unique facts of this case, a three-month suspension is considered an appropriate outcome,” WADA added.
Accusations of Favorable Treatment
The agreement reached with Sinner is announced less than a month after WADA’s decision not to appeal the one-month suspension handed down by ITIA against world number 2 Iga Swiatek after a positive test for trimetazidine, another prohibited substance. The late revelation of Sinner’s and Swiatek’s positive tests, as well as the leniency of their sanctions, sparked anger among other players who believe the Italian and the Pole are receiving preferential treatment.
“Sad day for tennis. Equality doesn’t exist in tennis,” controversial Australian player Nick Kyrgios posted on social network X. “I no longer believe in clean sport,” added Swiss Stan Wawrinka, winner of three Grand Slam tournaments.
Regarding Sinner’s case, legend Novak Djokovic emphasized feeling “very frustrated” at not having known about the case for five months, the period between the positive test and ITIA’s announcement. In a statement released this Saturday, ITIA defended the soundness of its initial decision.
“The process was completed with respect to the World Anti-Doping Code and the tennis anti-doping program. After a thorough investigation by ITIA (based on advice from WADA-accredited laboratories) we were satisfied,” it stated, referring to the player’s explanations. The agreement announced this Saturday by WADA “supports these conclusions,” ITIA estimated.
