World No.1 Jannik Sinner suspended for 3 months for doping violation

Montreal: World No. 1 Jannik Sinner has reached a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and will serve a three-month ban following a doping violation. The Italian tennis star tested positive for clostebol, a prohibited substance, in March 2024, as confirmed by an independent tribunal of the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), which found that Sinner bore no fault or negligence in the matter.

WADA issued a statement, saying, “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.”

Sinner explained that the clostebol entered his system after coming in contact with a support staff member who had been applying an over-the-counter spray containing small amounts of clostebol. Repeated massages from this staff member led to contamination.

WADA acknowledged that Sinner did not intend to cheat, and that his exposure to clostebol did not enhance his performance. The contamination occurred without his knowledge, as a result of negligence by members of his entourage.

Sinner, who won the 2025 Australian Open in January, will serve the ban from February 9 to May 4, 2025, with four days already served under a provisional suspension. He will be allowed to resume training on April 13. Sinner will be eligible to return to competition on May 4, just in time for the French Open at Roland Garros, which begins on May 19, 2025.

As per the terms of the settlement, WADA has withdrawn its appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

With IANS inputs