World number one Jannik Sinner has received and accepted an immediate three-month ban from tennis after reaching a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) over two positive drugs test last year, Afrosport reports.
Sinner had previously been cleared of any wrongdoing by an independent panel after testing positive for clostebol in March 2024, accepting that he had been unknowingly contaminated by his physiotherapist, who was treating a cut on his hand with a spray, which was found to contain the banned substance.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency had decided not to suspend the 23-year-old Italian but the WADA launched an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), seeking a ban of up to two years.
WADA has now accepted his explanation claiming the reigning Australian Open champion did not intend to cheat and the drug did not provide any performance-enhancing benefit, and that the incident happened without his knowledge as a result of negligence from his team.
WADA however stated that Sinner bears responsibility for the negligence of team and must serve a three-month suspension.
Sinner in a statement through his lawyers per BBC Sport said: “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.
“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’s suspension will now run from February 9 till May 4. It will see him miss big tournaments such as the ATP 1000 Masters in India Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Madrid and the Barcelona 500.
He can however return to training from April 13 and will be back for the ATP 1000 Masters in Rome starting on May 5 and the second Grand Slam of the year at the French Open which starts on May 19.
