Jannik Sinner, the men’s world No 1, has been banned from tennis for three months in a settlement of his doping case. The 23-year-old Italian, who won the Australian Open in Melbourne last month, will now be suspended from the sport until 4 May. He will be eligible to play in the year’s next grand slam, the French Open, which starts on 19 May at Roland Garros. The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) had challenged a decision last year by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) not to suspend Sinner for what it judged was accidental contamination by a banned anabolic steroid last March. Sinner’s explanation – that trace amounts of clostebol in his doping sample were caused by a massage from a trainer who used the substance after cutting his own finger – was accepted.
In a statement on Saturday, Wada accepted that Sinner “did not intend to cheat”, but added: “However, under the code and by virtue of [court of arbitration for sport (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.”. Wada has formally withdrawn its appeal to CAS after reaching the settlement.
