World number one tennis player Jannik Sinner was suspended until May 4 after reaching an agreement with Wada (World Anti -Doping Agency), which had requested a suspension one to two years after the Italian tests positive for closet, a forbidden substance.
“According to the terms of the agreement, Sinner will fulfill his ineligibility period from 11:59 pm on February 9, 2025 until May 4, 2025,” Wada said in a statement.
The tennis player will lose the Masters 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami in March, and Monte Carlo and Madrid in April, but will not participate in the Grand Slams. With an advantage of 2,000 points about Alexander Zverev (2nd) and more than 4,000 about Carlos Alcaraz (3rd), he managed to keep number 1 despite the suspension.
He will probably return to home competitions to play the Masters 1000 of Rome (May 7-18), just before Roland Garros, and “may return to official training on April 13,” said Wada.
“This case has been hanging over me for almost a year and the process promised to be long, with a decision may not expected before the end of the year,” Sinner said in a statement.
“I’ve always accepted the fact that I’m responsible for my team. Wada’s rigid rules are an important protection for the sport I love,” he added.
“The nightmare is over,” said Fitp (Italian Federation), confirming that she will compete in Rome.
Sinner, 23, was released by tennis authorities after a positive double test last March after accepting the player’s explanations, who attributed the result to accidental contamination.
ITIA (International Tennis Integrity Agency) only announced the case in August and innovated by accepting its explanation that its physiotherapist sprayed it to treat a wound in his hand and then made a massage without gloves.
Wada appealed this decision in September and the Arbitral Sports Court (CAS) should issue a decision in April, but this did not happen after the agreement was reached.
“I haven’t done anything wrong, that’s why I’m still here. That’s why I’m still playing,” Sinner said 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,” he added.
“Wada accepts that Sinner had no intention of cheating, that her exposure to closet gave her no advantage advantage and that she was caused by the negligence of members of her team,” the entity said in a statement released on Saturday .
“But under the Code (World Anti -Doping) and under the jurisprudence of CAS, an athlete is responsible for the negligence of his team. Based on the unique facts of this case, a three -month suspension is considered an appropriate result,” Wada added.
Preferential treatment accusations
The sinner closed agreement occurred less than a month after Wada’s decision not to appeal from the suspension of a month imposed by Italy to the world’s number two, Iga Swiatek, after a positive test for trimetazidine, another prohibited substance.
The late revelation of the positive tests of Sinner and Swiatek, as well as the lightness of their sanctions, annoyed other players who believe that Italian and Polish are benefiting from preferred treatment.
“A sad day for tennis. Equality doesn’t exist in tennis,” said Australian player Nick Kyrgios on social network X.
“I no longer believe in clean sport,” added Swiss Stan Wawrinka, winner of three Grand Slam tournaments.
Regarding the Sinner case, the Legend Novak Djokovic pointed out that he felt “very frustrated” because he had no news of the case for five months, the positive test and the announcement made by Isia.
In a statement published on Saturday, itia defended the solidity of its decision in the first instance.
“The process was completed in accordance with the World Anti-Doping Code and the Tennis Anti-Doping Program. After an in-depth investigation by ITA (based on Wada-accredited laboratories recommendations), we were satisfied,” he said, referring to the explanations of the player.
The agreement announced by Wada on Saturday “supports these conclusions,” it told It.
