The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has defended its decision to impose a three-month suspension on Jannik Sinner, asserting that the penalty was “appropriate” given the specific circumstances surrounding his violation. WADA emphasized that the seriousness of the infraction did not justify a lengthy suspension, despite having initially sought a ban of between 12 to 24 months after Sinner’s two failed tests for the anabolic steroid clostebol in March of the previous year.
Sinner, who ascended to the World No. 1 ranking, has won seven titles—including the US Open in September and the Australian Open in January—since the positive tests. His case was scheduled to be heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in mid-April. However, just days before the hearing, both WADA and Sinner’s team reached an unexpected resolution, agreeing on a significantly shorter suspension than the minimum one-year ban that had originally been requested.
In an official statement, WADA confirmed: “The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) confirms that it has entered into a case resolution agreement in the case of Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner, with the player accepting a three-month period of ineligibility for an anti-doping rule violation that led to him testing positive for clostebol, a prohibited substance, in March 2024.” The suspension will run from February 9 to May 4, causing Sinner to miss six ATP Tour events, with his likely return scheduled for the Italian Open in May.
The decision has sparked outrage within the tennis community, with some players expressing their disbelief. Nick Kyrgios voiced his discontent, stating, “Obviously Sinner’s team have done everything in their power to just go ahead and take a 3-month ban, no titles lost, no prize money lost. Guilty or not? Sad day for tennis. Fairness in tennis does not exist.” Fellow Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka also weighed in, saying, “I don’t believe in clean sport anymore,” while former Wimbledon winner Marion Bartoli criticized the timing, suggesting the situation appeared suspicious. “The president of the ATP is Italian and as luck would have it, he will resume in Rome… When you put everything together, you still say to yourself, ‘aren’t they ‘taking the pi** a bit?’”
In response, WADA Vice-President Yang Yang defended the decision, emphasizing the technical and professional nature of the anti-doping process. “The whole anti-doping process is highly professional and technical, which is really difficult for many to understand,” Yang said in an interview with Xinhua. He added that WADA is committed to fairness and has the ability to adjust its sanction framework to address unique cases. “One of its primary functions is to ensure that unique cases which do not fall squarely within the sanction framework can be adjudicated appropriately and fairly, provided that all parties and WADA agree,” Yang explained.
WADA further clarified that the decision to impose a three-month suspension was in line with existing guidelines, noting that a 12-month ban would have been “unduly severe” given the specifics of Sinner’s case. Yang also pointed out that under the current revisions to the anti-doping code, a reprimand is typically the minimum sanction for cases involving contamination, reinforcing that a three-month ban falls within the recommended framework.
“WADA considered a three-month ban was appropriate in [the] Sinner case,” Yang concluded. “We are pleased to have been able to deal with this matter in an open and transparent way.” Despite the backlash, the agency remains firm in its stance, maintaining that the sanction was fair and consistent with its established processes.