Jannik Sinner Faces Potential Two-Year Ban, WADA Confirms Possible Ban Details
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Jannik Sinner might be winning trophies right now, but that could soon change, as the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is seeking a potential two-year suspension for the Italian player.
Sinner is currently the highest-ranked player on the ATP Tour. He has matched Carlos Alcaraz's weeks as the World No. 1 player, and the Italian's lead over the rest of the field is big enough for him not to worry about it.
However, even though he's enjoying the results of his hard work at the moment, Sinner might soon be forced to stop competing professionally.
In September last year, WADA announced that they were appealing Sinner's case. It was a shock for the tennis world and the Italian player who will stand in front of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) this April.
That's when he will learn whether he will be allowed to continue competing or not. A couple of months prior to that, Sinner received an indication of what WADA seeks.
WADA's spokesperson, James Fitzgerald, talked to the Italian publication La Stampa. Fitzgerald confirmed that WADA didn't agree that Sinner had 'no fault or negligence,' which is why they suggested a suspension between one and two years.
"As we stated in September, WADA believes that the finding of ‘no fault or negligence’ was not correct under the current rules, and is seeking a suspension period of between one and two years."
"WADA is not seeking the cancellation of any findings, other than those already imposed at first instance. As the matter is now pending before the CAS, Wada will not comment further."
Sinner certainly won't be happy to hear these words. Spending up to two years away from the ATP Tour would certainly impact his career in a significant way.
Fitzgerald was also asked about how athletes are responsible for the actions of their team, which has been Sinner's case. Of course, Fitzgerald wanted to avoid commenting directly on the Italian player's case but stated that the athletes must also be responsible for what their team does.
"Without commenting on any particular case, I would say that the principle of strict liability is of fundamental importance to uphold fairness in sport. Without it there would be no anti-doping and dopers would win."
"If an athlete who tests positive for a prohibited substance did not have to explain where it came from, or how it entered his system, it would be all too easy for the cheater to escape significant sanctions."
Sinner will appear on the tennis courts already during the 2025 Qatar Open in Doha. The ATP 500 event starts on February 17th, and the World No. 1 player could meet the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, who will play in Doha as well.
