Jannik Sinner, the world’s No.1 and reigning Australian Open champion, has accepted a three-month ban after an anti-doping violation though he will return just in time for the French Open.
The 23-year-old Italian, who tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid clostebol in March, was initially cleared of wrongdoing by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA). However, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed the decision, pushing the case toward the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Now, a resolution agreement between WADA and Sinner means he will serve a suspension but avoid the potential two-year ban that loomed over him.
Sinner will be sidelined until May 4, missing key Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami, but he can resume training by mid-April crucially allowing him to prepare for Roland Garros.
“WADA accepts that Mr. Sinner did not intend to cheat,” the agency stated, acknowledging that his exposure to clostebol came from a physiotherapist’s use of a healing spray. Despite this, strict liability rules in anti-doping cases held Sinner responsible for his team’s negligence.
While some in the tennis world view the ruling as lenient especially as he retains his Australian Open title others argue that Sinner endured months of uncertainty under the shadow of a doping case he didn’t intentionally cause.
