The World Anti-Doping Agency has defended the three-month ban agreed for world number one Jannik Sinner, insisting his case was “a million miles from doping”. Sinner tested positive for clostebol in March last year, and after the International Tennis Integrity Agency decided not to suspend the Italian, WADA announced it had appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and was seeking a two-year ban.
However, WADA announced last Saturday it had agreed an immediate three-month ban. The sanction has been questioned and criticised by current and former players, including Novak Djokovic and former British number one Tim Henman. However, WADA’s general counsel Ross Wenzel believes the sanction level was “in the right place” for what had occurred. “This was a case that was a million miles away from doping,” he told BBC Sport.
“The scientific feedback that we received was that this could not be a case of intentional doping, including micro-dosing. “WADA has received messages from those that consider that the sanction was too high and, in some respects, if you have some saying this is unfair on the athlete, and others saying it’s not enough, maybe it’s an indication that although it’s not going to be popular with everyone, maybe it’s an indication that it was in the right place.
“When we look at these cases we try to look at them technically, operationally and we don’t do it with fear of what the public and the politicians or anyone is going to say.”. Sinner’s suspension runs from February 9 to May 4, leaving him clear to play in the rest of this year’s grand slams, starting with the French Open. Speaking at the Qatar Open on Monday, 24-time grand slam champion Djokovic said the “majority of the players feel like there is favouritism happening”, while Henman on Saturday told Sky Sports News he found the timing and length of Sinner’s ban “a little too convenient”.
