Jannik Sinner’s lengthy doping saga got here to an finish on Saturday after he agreed to a three-month ban from tennis, the world primary admitting “partial responsibility” for crew errors which led to him twice testing constructive for traces of clostebol in March final yr.
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The February 9 to May 4 suspension means Sinner shall be free to play within the French Open, the second Grand Slam of the season, which begins on May 25 at Roland Garros.
‘No intent’
In a press release, Sinner stated that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accepted that he “had no intent and did not derive any competitive advantage from the two positive tests” of the banned substance.
Australian Open champion Sinner has at all times stated that clostebol entered his system when his physiotherapist used a twig containing it to deal with a reduce earlier than offering a therapeutic massage and sports activities remedy.
“This case had been hanging over me now 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,” Sinner stated.
“I have always accepted that I am responsible for my team and realise 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.”
WADA stated individually that “Sinner did not intend to cheat” however that he would serve his suspension as he’s answerable for the actions of his entourage.
Sport’s international doping watchdog confirmed it was withdrawing its enchantment to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which was as a result of hear the case in April.
The settlement between Sinner and WADA additionally implies that Sinner will be capable of play in entrance of his dwelling followers on the Rome Open which kicks off simply after the tip of his suspension and is the final large clay-court match earlier than Roland Garros.
Saturday’s announcement brings to an finish an issue which has adopted Sinner in all places simply as he rose to turn into the highest participant in males’s tennis and a a number of Grand Slam winner.
‘Sad day for tennis
Sinner was dealing with a possible ban of two years after WADA appealed to CAS towards his preliminary exoneration by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), introduced in August.
The constructive assessments weren’t intially made public whereas the ITIA investigation was ongoing and Sinner had been allowed to hold on enjoying after efficiently interesting provisional suspensions.
“We were satisfied that the player had established the source of the prohibited substance and that the breach was unintentional. Today’s outcome supports this finding,” stated the ITIA on Saturday.
The ITIA’s preliminary ruling triggered uproar amongst a piece of the boys’s tour, with outspoken Australian participant Nick Kyrgios calling it “ridiculous” and pouring scorn on Sinner’s clarification for the contamination.
Kyrgios reacted to Saturday’s announcement on X, posting: “Guilty or not? Sad day for tennis. Fairness in tennis does not exist.”
And three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka was equally damning of the deal, writing: “I don’t believe in a clean sport anymore.”
The ATP, which governs the boys’s tour, stated it welcomed the conclusion of the affair however added: “This case is an important reminder of players’ responsibility to carefully manage the products and treatments they or their entourages use.”
However, the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), a gamers’ union co-founded by Novak Djokovic in 2021, denounced an “unacceptable bias” within the selections of anti-doping authorities.
‘Lack of credibility’
The drawback “is not only that the sanctions are different from one player to another. It is also the lack of transparency (…), the lack of credibility in this soup of acronyms of agencies responsible for controlling” gamers, the PTPA lashed out on X.
The physique criticised “the lack of commitment of the ATP, WTA, Grand Slams, ITIA and WADA to reform and create a fair and transparent system.”
The ITIA’s authentic determination was made public simply days earlier than final yr’s US Open, which Sinner subsequently received to say his second Grand Slam after breaking his main match duck on the earlier Australian Open.
Sinner then efficiently defended his title at Melbourne Park final month, turning into simply the fourth man to take action because the flip of the century alongside tennis icons Andre Agassi, Roger Federer and Djokovic.
By that time he had confirmed his standing as nationwide hero in Italy by profitable the ATP Finals in Turin after which starring in his nation’s second straight Davis Cup triumph.
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