Sinner Didn't Receive Any Preferential Treatment Because Of No. 1 Rank Says Nadal
NewsThursday, 01 May 2025 at 10:50
Rafael Nadal recently spoke about Jannik Sinner's doping case, showing plenty of support for the Italian player.
Nadal is one of the greatest tennis players in the history of the sport. Throughout his career, which lasted over two decades, the Spaniard had to go through hundreds of doping tests, so he knows how the system works.
Luckily for the 38-year-old, he never had to explore it in detail, as he never had a positive test that would impact his career, similar to how Jannik Sinner's career was impacted by his positive test.
As a legend of the sport, Nadal was obviously asked about his opinion on Sinner's case during a recent interview with CNN. The Spaniard obviously knows about the case, but at the same time, he was very cautious with his words.
The 22-time major winner admitted that he didn't know all the details of Sinner's case. However, just by knowing the 23-year-old Italian, Nadal thinks that Sinner wouldn't intentionally dope.
"I don’t have a clear opinion, first of all, because I don’t have the whole information. First of all, I 100% believe that Jannik is innocent. I don’t think at all that Jannik wanted to do something that is not allowed, so I 100% believe in Jannik."
Nadal's fellow retired legend, Serena Williams, recently said that if she had a positive test like Sinner had, she would receive a 20-year suspension. That's why Nadal was also asked about the way Sinner's case was handled.
According to the 14-time French Open champion, there wasn't any preferential treatment in Sinner's case. Nadal mentioned that since he, as a former athlete, also went through the test, he had no reason not to believe in them.
"From my point of view, I really don’t believe that Jannik, because he’s the No. 1 in the world, received different treatment than another person, from my perspective and from my understanding. I really believe in the process, I have been there going through all the tests for 20 years, how the things are strict on every single movement … and I believe in the process."
Nadal is a believer, and he believes that the world is fair. According to the legendary Spaniard, if Sinner had been treated differently, it would mean that the world isn't fair.
"I can’t say another thing and I can’t think another way because, if not, I will think that we are not in a fair world, and I really believe that we are in a fair world in this matter."
Sinner will return to the tennis courts at the 2025 Italian Open in Rome. It is a tournament that will be held without Novak Djokovic, as the Serbian player withdrew from the ATP Masters 1000 event, which starts on May 7th.
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