Jannik Sinner's Doha Practice Sparks Debate Over Possible Doping Case Violation
News
There has been a polarized reaction in the tennis world to Jannik Sinner's case settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), but further controversy emerged from images of him practicing before the 2025 Qatar Open.
Sinner was set to play at the ongoing tournament in Doha as the No. 1 seed alongside Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic. Those three playing together at an ATP 500 tournament would have been unique and outstanding viewing for the fans.
Sadly, that prospect ended when Sinner was suspended for three months. His team and WADA agreed on that ban instead of having the case decided at an appeal hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Sinner's ban runs from February 9th until May 4th. The ATP world No. 1 will miss four Masters 1000 tournaments, but his ban ends a few days before the 2025 Italian Open and a couple of weeks before the French Open.
Despite Sinner's ban officially starting on February 9th, he was pictured training in Doha ahead of the ATP 500 tournament after that date despite being prohibited from any professional tournament activity.
Being on-site and training at the Qatar Open would usually count as official tournament activity since an ATP event was scheduled a few days later, and Sinner was using its facilities to keep himself fit and sharp.
Some fans argued on social media that he had already violated the terms of his agreement with WADA and should be suspended for a longer period as a punishment for that act.
Others looked into the case settlement with WADA and tried to find something to explain why he was pictured training in Doha after February 9th. There was wording in the WADA announcement that could explain the situation.
Sinner's three-month suspension included four days of time-served credit from the brief period he was provisionally suspended last year, although fans did not know about it at the time because the International Tennis Integrity Agency's initial investigation was kept private.
It is unclear whether the four days of credit means Sinner had an extra four days from February 9th or if the four days were already included and meant the ban from official tournament activity started from that date.
Sinner and WADA have not commented on whether his actions in Doha violated the agreement. It is unknown how quickly the settlement was reached or how much Sinner himself and his team were involved in the decision.
Enough controversy exists about the settlement without more being added. The backlash from some players and organizations has been stark. Nick Kyrgios called the three-month ban and settlement a dark day for tennis.
The PTPA, co-founded by Novak Djokovic to promote fairness and equity for ATP and WTA players, slammed the settlement. Its statement said the development proved there was bias in how some are treated compared to others.
The anger from many might make Sinner keep a very low profile while he serves his suspension, and he is probably relieved that his first tournament after the ban will be on home soil at the Italian Open.
