World No. 1 Jannik Sinner Accepts Three-Month Doping Ban, Set To Return For French Open

LONDON: Jannik Sinner, the 23-year-old Italian tennis star who won the Australian Open last month, has been handed a three-month suspension due a doping case that began nearly a year ago.

The suspension began on February 9 and will end on May 4, 2025. Sinner will be eligible to compete in the French Open, which starts on May 19, 2025.

The case began when Sinner tested positive for clostebol, a banned steroid, in March 2024. He had been cleared of wrongdoing by an independent panel after it was determined that he was inadvertently contaminated by his physiotherapist’s treatment.

The physiotherapist had used an over-the-counter spray to treat a cut on Sinner’s hand, which was later found to contain clostebol. The panel had accepted that Sinner bore no fault or negligence for the positive test, but the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed this decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

WADA's appeal argued that under the rules, athletes are responsible for the actions of their entourage, even if there was no intent to cheat. In response, Sinner accepted the three-month suspension, acknowledging that he is accountable for the actions of his team.

While Sinner maintains that the contamination was accidental and did not provide any performance-enhancing benefit, he agreed to the sanction as a way to resolve the issue.

This suspension means that Sinner will miss important tournaments, including the prestigious hard court events in Indian Wells and Miami, as well as several clay court tournaments leading up to the French Open.

However, he will be able to resume official training on April 13, 2025, and is set to return to competitive play at the Italian Open, which begins on May 7, 2025.

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