Top ranked tennis pro for men Jannik Sinner was suspended by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) after twice testing positive on a forbidden anabolic steroid almost a year ago. News from the prohibition comes only a few weeks after the Italian tennis pRO won his third Grand Slam title.
WADA announced on Saturday in a statement that it corresponds to the conclusion of the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), who discovered that Sinner had not deliberately used one Forbidden substance For competitive profit.
Jannik Sinner of Italy in action during his match against Marcos Giron of the United States of America in the third round of the Herenhonkslagen in the Australian Open 2025 in Melbourne Park on January 18, 2025. (Mike Frey-Imagement Images)
“Wada accepts the athlete’s statement for the cause of the violation as set out in the decision of the first instance,” said the statement.
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“Wada accepts that Mr. Sinner was not planning to cheat and that his exposure to Clostebol did not provide a performance -promoting benefit and without his knowledge took place as a result of negligence of members of his entourage.”
Sinner, 23, tested positively on low levels of metabolite from Clostebol, a forbidden anabolic steroid that can be used for ophthalmic and dermatological use, in March 2024. Eight days after the Indian Wells Tournament, Sinner again tested in an outdoor competition.
According to the first findings of the Itia, Sinner explained that he had tested positively after receiving a massage from a trainer who had used a freely available spray that Clostebol contained to treat a small wound after cutting his own finger.
Jannik Sinner plays on 8 September 2024 in the men’s Singles Final of the US Open Tennis Tournament 2024 US Open Tournament in Usta Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York. (Robert Deutsch imagn images)
Jannik Sinner wins Australian Open for the 2nd consecutive time
While Wada accepted the statement without Fault, the organization said that the three -month suspension was necessary because “an athlete bears responsibility for the ingourage’s negligence.” Wada had initially challenged the ITIA decision for no suspension and was looking for a minimum of an annual ban before he agreed to settle with a three -month suspension.
Wada said that in this case the victories of Sinner would not be withdrawn due to the findings of the ITIA that the positive test results had not yielded a competitive advantage.
Sinner issued a statement on Saturday with the discipline of the WADA.
“This case now hung over me for almost a year and the process still had a long time to deal with a decision, perhaps only at the end of the year,” he said. “I have always accepted that I am responsible for my team and realize that the strict rules of Wada are an important protection for the sport I love.
Jannik Sinner of Italy in action during his match against Ben Shelton of the United States of America in the semi -final of the Herenhonkslagen in the Australian Open 2025 in Melbourne Park on January 24, 2025. (Mike Frey-Imagement Images)
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Sinner’s doping scandal has received mixed reactions from the tennis community, but Saturday’s announcement was received with an overwhelming disappointment of the greatest stars of the sport.
One of the most pronounced critics was Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios.
“So Wada comes out and say that it would be a ban of 1-2 years,” said Kyrgios in a message about X. “Of course Sinners Team did everything to continue and take a 3-month ban, No titles lost, no prize money.
The suspension of Sinner lasts until 4 May. He will not miss the Italian open or one of the remaining Grand Slam tournaments.
The Associated Press has contributed to this report.
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