Patrick McEnroe thinks the ITIA conducted the Jannik Sinner doping investigation as well as they could have and there was zero reason for the Italian tennis star to be handed a suspension.
Last August, the ITIA announced that the world No. 1 twice tested positive for a banned substance in 2024 March but he was allowed to continue competing after quickly proving the source of contamination. After the investigation was finished, the ITIA fully accepted that the 23-year-old bore no fault or negligence for the way he failed a doping test and said there would be no any bans for him.
However, the WADA didn’t accept the part where only Sinner’s former physio Giacomo Naldi received the blame. And after they contested the ITIA’s ruling and wanted a one to two-year suspension, the Italian and his team agreed to settle on a three-month suspension instead of going to the CAS.
McEnroe: ITIA’s Sinner process went exactly as it was meant to go
“I don’t think he should have been suspended. They went through the process exactly as it was meant to go. I’m not saying it isn’t possible that players have figured out how to beat the system. But if you go by what we know, and what the proper protocols were, he was innocent. The argument that other players were treated badly, and therefore we should treat him badly, is absurd,” 1989 French Open men’s doubles champion McEnroe told tennis.com.
For months, some were persistent in their claims that the ITIA didn’t ban Sinner only because of his status in the game. Some even started mockingly stating that the one failing a doping test should only say it wasn’t their fault and would be cleared.
So when the WADA lodged an appeal into the ITIA’s ruling, some suspected that they wanted this year’s Australian Open champion to get at least some kind of a ban so they could send a message.
Sinner’s suspension will expire on May 4th.
Tennis World USA