The tennis world was taken by storm on Saturday, as Jannik Sinner reached an agreement with WADA over his high-profile doping controversy. The WADA had appealed Sinner’s case to CAS after an independent tribunal accepted his defence. To everyone’s surprise on Saturday, WADA confirmed on a press conference that Sinner is set to serve a three-match suspension from tennis, in relation to his doping incident.
Sinner is expected to lose 2100 points before his suspension comes to an end on May 5 of this year. The Italian is set to lose 500 points on Monday, for not defending his Rotterdam Open last week. He will fall to 9730 points as a result of his suspension. Despite his absence, he will remain No. 1 with a good distance over No. 2 Alexander Zverev. Zverev needs to win 2500 points in this period to catch up.
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Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz, who is Sinner’s rival, will need over 3700 points to topple Sinner from his position in the next three months.
In an official statement, Sinner said, “This case had been hanging over me now 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 3month sanction.”
{{/usCountry}}In an official statement, Sinner said, “This case had been hanging over me now 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 3month sanction.”
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, Sinner’s lawyer said, “I am delighted that Jannik can finally put this harrowing experience behind him. WADA has confirmed the facts determined by the Independent Tribunal. It is clear that Jannik had no intent, no knowledge, and gained no competitive advantage. Regrettably, errors made by members of his team led to this situation.”
Sinner’s suspension ends on May 4 and he is allowed to begin training from April 13 onwards. Also, the French Open is scheduled to begin on May 25, so Sinner won’t be missing out on any Grand Slam titles too.