Less than a month after winning his second consecutive Australian Open title, World No. 1 Jannik Sinner will accept an immediate three-month ban from tennis after he reached a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), BBC reported late Friday night.
Sinner tested positive twice over the last year for clostebol; the 23-year-old was “inadvertently contaminated with the banned substance clostebol by his physiotherapist,” per BBC.
“This case had been hanging over me for nearly a year and the process still had a long time to run with a decision maybe only at the end of the year,” the Italian said in a statement. “I have always accepted that I am responsible for my team and realise Wada's strict rules are an important protection for the sport I love. On that basis I have accepted Wada's offer to resolve these proceedings on the basis of a three-month sanction.”
Sinner will officially be suspended from February 9 until May 4; he'll be eligible to play in the 2025 French Open, a tournament he advanced to the semifinals of last year.
In 2024, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) decided not to suspend Sinner. But after an appeal from WADA to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) — WADA wanted a two year ban — Sinner's explanation was accepted, and the case is no longer going forward.
Banned substance didn't affect performance: WADA
WADA said the three-time Grand Slam champion didn't intend to cheat, and the drug didn't provide any performance-enhancing benefit, which affected the length of the suspension.
Article Continues Below“However, under the code and by virtue of Cas precedent, an athlete bears responsibility for the entourage's negligence,” wrote WADA in the official decision. “Based on the unique set of facts of this case, a three-month suspension is deemed to be an appropriate outcome.”
Sinner will miss a couple of high-profile tournaments in the United States, including Indian Wells and Miami in March. He lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the semis of the BNP Paribas Open last year, before becoming the first Italian singles player to win the Miami Open, beating Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets in the final.
Along with being unable to defend his title in Miami, Sinner will miss a couple of key clay tournaments ahead of the French Open. He'll first be eligible to play again in the Italian Open, which begins on May 7. He can return to “official training activity” on April 13, per BBC.
Sinner has won three Grand Slam titles — all in the last two years — going back-to-back in Australia and beating Taylor Fritz in the 2024 US Open Final last August. He's captured 19 singles titles overall, including the 2024 ATP Finals and four Masters 1000's.
With a 270-80 record all-time in singles, Sinner has been the World No. 1 since June 10, 2024.