Toni Nadal has once again voiced his strong opposition to the three-month suspension imposed on Jannik Sinner, while also critiquing the actions of certain top players, as well as others within the tennis community, whom he believes are not entirely “clean.”
Sinner’s case began last year when he tested positive for the banned substance clostebol in March. Initially, the International Tennis Integrity Agency cleared the Italian, ruling that there was no fault or negligence on his part. It was determined that Sinner’s positive test resulted from contamination, after receiving a message from his physiotherapist, who had unknowingly used a product containing clostebol.
Despite this, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) did not accept the ruling, appealing the decision and seeking a suspension of between 12 and 24 months. WADA argued that Sinner should have faced some form of sanction, even though the contamination was unintentional. Before the case could be presented to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, a compromise was reached. Sinner’s legal team and WADA agreed on a three-month ban, much to the dismay of several players and fans.
Toni Nadal, who has been a prominent figure in tennis as both the uncle and former coach of Rafael Nadal, has repeatedly stated that he believes Sinner did not intentionally commit any wrongdoing. He expressed disappointment with the ruling, emphasizing that Sinner should not be penalized for an unfortunate and unintentional mistake. “I have stated many times and I have explained it, I am against the sanction,” Nadal remarked in an interview with Marca. “I know Sinner personally, and he had no will to commit a crime. You can’t treat a person like that for a mistake that happened by chance.”
Nadal further argued that the focus should be on those who intentionally seek to cheat for personal gain, not those who find themselves in situations beyond their control. “It cannot be that you have this will to control and sanction. You have to sanction the one who intentionally does things wrong and looks for his own benefit. And I know that this is not the case for Sinner. I know that he did not have any benefit with what they found. So why do you want to sanction?”
The three-month ban has sparked outrage within the tennis community. Some players, feeling that Sinner’s penalty was too lenient, have criticized the outcome. Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka shared his frustration, stating, “I don’t believe in a clean sport anymore.” Nick Kyrgios and former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli also voiced their displeasure with the decision.
Novak Djokovic, an all-time tennis great, also expressed his disappointment with how the case was handled, noting that many players on the tour felt the process was unfair. He said, “I spoke with several players in the locker room, not only in the last few days but also in the previous months. Most of them are not satisfied with how the whole process has gone, and they don’t think it’s fair.” Djokovic went on to suggest that there appeared to be favoritism at play, with top players benefiting from their access to elite lawyers and resources. “Sinner and [Iga] Swiatek are innocent, it has been proven. Sinner will have a three-month suspension due to some mistakes and negligence of some members of his team, who are working on the tour. This is also something that I personally and many other players find strange.”
In his typical bold manner, Nadal responded to these critiques with a sharp rebuttal. He stated, “It is true that they say that others who are not No 1 were sanctioned, because they did it wrong before. I am surprised that different players have taken a stand against it, including some top players and some who are not very clean.” With this comment, Nadal clearly hinted at the hypocrisy within the sport and the complex nature of fairness in tennis, leaving much to be debated in the weeks ahead.