Andy Roddick, former US Open champion, has openly criticized the timeline surrounding Jannik Sinner’s suspension for failed doping tests, calling it “borderline laughable.”
The 23-year-old Italian was handed a three-month suspension by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), following an agreement with Sinner’s team announced on Saturday. This came after Sinner tested positive for the anabolic steroid clostebol twice in March 2024—once during the Indian Wells Masters and again after the event concluded.
Initially, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) revealed in August that Sinner had avoided a suspension, as an independent tribunal concluded that he carried “no fault or negligence.” Sinner had explained that the steroid was introduced into his system accidentally, claiming it happened during a massage with his former physio, Giacomo Naldi, who had used a spray containing the banned substance to treat a cut on his finger.
However, WADA appealed the ruling in September, pushing for a suspension of one to two years. The matter was due to be heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in mid-April, but instead, Sinner agreed to a deal with WADA that resulted in the three-month ban.
The suspension runs from February 9 to May 4, and while Sinner will miss key events like the Qatar Open, Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, and Madrid, he will still be eligible to compete in Grand Slams, including the Italian Open, which starts just days after his ban ends.
Roddick, speaking on his Served podcast, expressed doubt that Sinner had intentionally doped but raised concerns about the “extremely convenient” timing of the suspension. “Listen, I say this up front, I don’t think Sinner knowingly cheated, I don’t think he intentionally did,” Roddick said. “I think his trainer f***ed up in epic ways, but we are responsible for what our teams do. That is why we are here at a suspension—not because we found Sinner at fault, but because we are responsible for our teams.”
The 2003 US Open winner couldn’t ignore the fact that the timing of the ban seemed too perfect. “If you could handpick a date, I am going to start this 10 days after the Aussie Open and I’m going to end it, not even right before the French Open, but right before I make my return to Rome, in the Masters 1000 there,” Roddick remarked. “You could not have handpicked a better sweet spot for Jannik to take this deal, which is either strange, or the best coincidence that has ever happened to Jannik’s team.”
Roddick went on to question the negotiations and timing of the whole situation. “It is extremely convenient timing. I want to know, like my mind automatically goes, what’s this negotiation like, right? How does this conversation take place to avoid this trial?”
Despite his suspicions about the timing, Roddick still believed that Sinner acted in good faith throughout the process. “I think I have more questions about what we’re reading this morning than I have maybe going up to this point,” Roddick continued. “I felt pretty confident, I don’t think he did it on purpose. I tend to believe that Jannik at least was acting in good faith the entire time.”
However, Roddick still found the timing of the suspension almost too perfect to ignore. “You play the first major, you win it and then you take a little, you know siesta, and then you continue on with a warmup tournament in Rome, and then you miss no majors,” he concluded. “Now I don’t know how this, maybe it’s just good fortune for the Sinner team, but the timeline is borderline laughable.”
Roddick’s comments shed light on the suspicious nature of the timing surrounding Sinner’s suspension, even as he acknowledged that the player likely wasn’t intentionally involved in any wrongdoing. Nonetheless, the coincidence of the situation hasn’t escaped scrutiny, raising questions about the behind-the-scenes negotiations and whether it’s all just a case of fortunate timing for Sinner’s camp.