By Staff | February 15th, 2025, 11:18 am
Earlier today, the World Anti-Doping Agency announced they’ve reached a settlement with Jannik Sinner, sparing him a court appearance that was slated for mid-April. The agreement stems from a doping case involving the Italian athlete.
According to the resolution, Sinner will serve a suspension starting from February 9, 2025, until the stroke of midnight on May 4, 2025. This period covers a four-day suspension he had already served. However, from April 13, Sinner is allowed back to official training, whatever that means.
During his suspension, Sinner will miss significant Masters events, including those in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, and Madrid. On the bright side, he’s expected to return for the Rome Masters and, with any luck, the French Open.
Although WADA acknowledged that Sinner wasn’t at fault for his earlier positive tests, they did emphasize his responsibility for his team’s mistakes that resulted in the violation. The agency’s statement read, “WADA accepts that Mr. Sinner did not intend to cheat, and his exposure to clostebol was not performance-enhancing and occurred without his knowledge due to the negligence of his entourage. Nonetheless, under the Code and CAS precedent, athletes are accountable for their entourage’s actions. Given the unique facts of this case, a three-month suspension is appropriate.”
Moreover, WADA didn’t see eye-to-eye with the ITIA’s decision not to suspend Sinner initially. The appeal set for April with CAS was intended to address the length of the suspension. However, WADA and Sinner reached a mutual agreement privately. Originally pushing for a 1-2 year ban, WADA accepted the reduced three-month suspension.
Sinner commented, “This case has been looming over me for about a year, and the process still had quite a way to go, potentially not concluding until the end of the year. I’ve always recognized I am responsible for my team and understand the importance of WADA’s strict rules for the integrity of the sport I cherish. I agreed to resolve this with WADA by accepting a 3-month suspension.”
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