Men’s tennis is in turmoil after Jannik Sinner accepted a three-month suspension in a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The ban stems from Sinner’s two positive drug tests for trace amounts of an anabolic steroid Clostebol.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) had previously decided not to suspend Sinner after it had determined that the Italian’s positive tests were due to accidental contamination. Sinner claimed in his defense that he was contaminated because the trainer who had given him a massage had previously used Clostebol to treat a cut on his finger.
WADA challenged the ITIA’s decision and sought to ban Sinner, a three-time Grand Slam winner, for at least a year. Now, the world no. 1 will miss just three months instead of twelve and will get to in the three other Grand Slams this year: the French Open that starts on May 24, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Sinner’s suspension ends on May 4.
Nick Kyrgios, Other Tennis Stars Unhappy with Jannik Sinner’s Deal
Upon the confirmation of the ban, some big names in men’s tennis past and present expressed their disapproval of the deal Sinner and WADA had reached. Among the most vocal was Nick Kyrgios, who said in X that “fairness in tennis does not exist.” Kyrgios, of course, has been openly critical of doping.
World no. 8 Daniil Medvedev seemingly mocked WADA with his comments after losing in the Open 13 semifinals in Marseille: “I hope everyone can discuss with WADA and defend themselves like Jannik Sinner from now on.”
The Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) founded by Novak Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil also reacted to the deal with a strongly worded statement on X.
“The ‘system’ is not a system. It’s a club,” the PTPA wrote. “Supposed case-by-case discretion is, in fact, merely cover for tailored deals, unfair treatment, and inconsistent rulings. It’s not just the different results for different players. It’s the lack of transparency. The lack of process. The lack of consistency. The lack of credibility in the alphabet soup of agencies charged with regulating our sports and athletes.”
Even former tennis greats Stan Wawrinka and Tim Henman weighed in the news, with the former posting “I don’t believe in a clean sport anymore…” on X. Henman, meanwhile, describes the deal as “a bit too convenient” and “leaves a pretty sour taste” for tennis.
Sinner has just won his second Australian Open title last January after beating Alexander Zverev in the final.
