Although Jannik Sinner’s doping case has officially closed, the echo of this story is destined to last for a long time to come. Everyone expected that the Italian ace would go all the way to the trial before the CAS in Lausanne – scheduled for April 16 and 17 – where he risked suffering a suspension of one to two years.
Against all odds, the 23-year-old from Sesto Pusteria reached an agreement with WADA that allowed both parties to remain satisfied.
The world number 1 had to admit that he had committed a small infraction and will have to be out for three months, until May 4, but he will not miss any Grand Slam tournament and should retain the first position in the ATP ranking barring shocking surprises.
WADA – which could not afford the acquittal of the world number 1 – has healed its image a bit after ending up at the center of several scandals in recent times.
Although this agreement has satisfied both sides in different ways, public opinion has been divided on the matter. In particular, players were not happy when they heard this news complaining about privileged treatment in favor of the 3-time Grand Slam champion.
In his press conference in Doha, Serbian legend Novak Djokovic revealed that most tennis players are convinced that the whole case was handled very strangely by the authorities.
Navratilova comments on Sinner’s suspension
Through her official X profile, WTA legend Martina Navratilova expressed all her doubts about this story.
“I think this still stinks. We are trying to keep out dopers… and Jannik Sinner is not that…this 3 month suspension doesn’t help anyone. At least Jannik will be done with this and will have a forced vacation instead. Tennis loses in every way” – she wrote.
The 23-year-old from Sesto Pusteria is resting in Dubai these days, waiting to choose the place where he will be able to practice until April 13.
Initially it was thought that Jannik would train in Dubai in this period of time, but it cannot be ruled out that he will travel to Spain (perhaps in Alicante).
Tennis World USA