Tennis world No1 Jannik Sinner banned for three months over two failed drug tests after making deal with prosecutors
WORLD No1 Jannik Sinner has been banned from tennis for three months following his two failed drug tests after reaching a deal with the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Sinner, 23, will not be able to play competitive tennis until May 4.
The Italian was previously cleared of any fault or wrongdoing following the two positive tests which showed the banned steroid clostebol in his system in March 2024.
He was inadvertently contaminated by his physio Giacomo Naldi who treated a cut on his own hand with a spray bought over the counter which contained the substance before massaging Sinner.
The spray was bought by another member of Sinner’s team, trainer Umberto Ferrara.
However, Wada appealed the decision from the International Tennis Integrity Agency and planned to take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport with a date set in April.
If Wada’s appeal was successful, Sinner could have been slapped with a lengthy ban – possibly as long as two years.
But now the three-time Grand Slam champion has accepted the three-month ban after reaching a settlement with Wada.
Wada accept that Sinner “did not intend to cheat” and that the drug “did not provide any performance-enhancing benefit”.
It also pinned the blame of “negligence” on his team members – both Naldi and Ferrera were immediately dismissed by Sinner when the news came to light last year before the US Open.
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Wada said: “However, under the code and by virtue of CAS precedent, an athlete bears responsibility for the entourage’s negligence.
“Based on the unique set of facts of this case, a three-month suspension is deemed to be an appropriate outcome.”
Sinner released his own statement via his lawyers which read: “This case had been hanging over me 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.
“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 terms of the ban – which began on February 9 – mean Sinner is not able to take part in “official training activity” until April 13.
He will miss both the prestigious Masters events in Indian Wells and Miami – he is the reigning champ in Miami – and most of the clay-court events leading up to the French Open.
It was at Indian Wells last year that he first tested positive and was therefore stripped of his ranking points and prize money from the event while a second test eight days later also showed traces of the steroid.
Crucially, though, Sinner is eligible to make his return to tennis at the Italian Open in Rome, with his home tournament starting on May 7.
He can then play in the next Grand Slam of the year at Roland Garros when the French Open kicks off on May 25.
Had there been no deal struck with Wada and Sinner waited until the April court hearing, a three-month ban would have seen him exiled from the French Open and Wimbledon and just returning to action in time for the US Open.
Sinner landed his first Major at the Australian Open in January 2024, added the US Open in September and then defended his Melbourne crown last month to secure his third Grand Slam – and continue his winning streak on hard courts.