Jannik Sinner has been given new information about the hearing in his doping case and how quickly it will be held.
Sinner finished an incredible season by winning the Davis Cup Finals with Italy last week. He secured back-to-back titles for his country at the team event with a singles victory against Team Netherlands' Tallon Griekspoor.
That was the icing on the cake for Sinner after an exceptional season that included maiden Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open and US Open, winning a first ATP Finals title, and finishing as the year-end ATP No. 1.
Sinner recorded multiple insane achievements throughout his breakthrough season. One example is becoming the first player since Ivan Lendl in 1986 not to drop a set at the ATP Finals.
The 23-year-old's accomplishments in 2024 are even more impressive considering the anxiety he has been living with since testing positive for the banned substance clostebol at March's Indian Wells Open.
A private five-month investigation by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) cleared Sinner of any wrongdoing, and he avoided a ban. His only punishment was losing his prize money and ranking points from the Indian Wells Open.
The ITIA accepted Sinner's explanation that the banned substance entered his system accidentally after massages from the Italian's physiotherapist at the time, who had used a spray he did not know contained traces of clostebol.
Sinner hoped the saga could be put behind him, and he won the US Open less than three weeks after the news of his positive tests became public. However, the world No. 1 will not be able to relax as he hoped.
The World Anti-Doping Agency announced that it was appealing the ITIA's verdict. It wants a ban of between one and two years, arguing Sinner bore more fault than the ITIA's investigation showed.
Since then, there have been rumors about when the Court of Arbitration for Sport will hear the appeal. The previous estimate given by reports was sometime in early 2025, which could have impacted Sinner's Australian Open title defense in January.
It has now been confirmed that Sinner's case will not be heard by February 11th. The Court of Arbitration for Sport recently published its list of hearings until that date, and the two-time Davis Cup winner was not among them.
That is a mixed result for Sinner. One positive is that he will be able to compete freely at the Australian Open. The year-end ATP No. 1 hopes to retain a Grand Slam title for the first time in his career.
On the other hand, Sinner will now have to wait a lengthier period for clarity about his case. The young star recently admitted that the process of the case had left him heartbroken, and he wanted it to be over as soon as possible.
Iga Swiatek, the WTA world No. 1 until October of this year, also tested positive for a prohibited substance. After the ITIA determined her level of fault to be extremely low, she accepted a one-month ban for the offense.
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