World number one Jannik Sinner has accepted an immediate ban from tennis after reaching a resolution with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) over two positive drugs test in 2024.
Responding to the outcome via his lawyers, the winner of last month’s Australian Open said the rules provided an “important protection for the sport I love”.
Sinner topped the rankings for the first time last June and won the US Open before successfully defending his Melbourne title, which had provided his first triumph at a major the previous year.
Why has Sinner been banned, when can we expect to see him in action again and which tournaments could he miss? 101GreatGoals.com explains the details.
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📰 Table Of Contents
Jannik Sinner ban: What happened?
Sinner tested positive for low levels of a metabolite of clostebol, which is a banned steroid that can be used to build muscle mass, in March 2024.
An independent panel accepted Sinner’s explanation that he had been inadvertently contaminated by his physiotherapist, who was treating a cut on the Italian’s hand with an over-the-counter spray later found to contain the banned substance.
In August, the International Tennis Integrity Agency said the panel found “no fault or negligence” with Sinner, but WADA appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, saying that finding was not correct under the applicable rules.
WADA had pursued a ban of between one and two years, with a two-day hearing scheduled from April 16 before an agreement with Sinner was reached.
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How long is Sinner banned for?
Sinner’s suspension covers February 9 until May 4. He was credited with four days previously served while he was under a provisional suspension.
“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,” he said.
“I have always accepted that I am responsible for my team and realize 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.”
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When is Sinner back? Will he miss the French Open?
Sinner will be able to play in the 2025 French Open because the tournament starts on February 19. He had his best run in Paris in 2024, reaching the semi-finals before losing in five sets to Carlos Alcaraz.
Sinner can resume “official training activity” from April 13 and could play again at the Italian Open, which begins on May 7.
But there will be no return this year at Indian Wells in the US, where Sinner lost to Alcaraz in the last four in 2024, nor a title defence at the Miami Open, in which he lost one set across six matches on his way to victory last year.
“WADA accepts that Mr Sinner did not intend to cheat and that his exposure to clostebol did not provide any performance-enhancing benefit and took place without his knowledge as the result of negligence of members of his entourage,” the agency said.
“However… 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.”
