Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner to face doping hearing in April

Jannik Sinner will be defending his title at the Australian Open, but he knows a court hearing in Switzerland in three months could see him facing a ban of up to two years for doping issues.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the highest arbitration body in sports, announced on Friday that it has scheduled a closed-door hearing for April 16-17 at its headquarters in Lausanne to consider the case of the world No. 1, who tested positive for a banned substance twice last year. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is appealing the sport's decision not to suspend Sinner, despite the Italian player testing positive for the anabolic steroid clostebol on two occasions in March.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) ruled it was caused by accidental contamination, but WADA is challenging that ruling, seeking a one-to-two-year ban for Sinner, a two-time Grand Slam winner and champion of last year's US Open and Melbourne Open. CAS has not given any timeline for a ruling, but the parties can request an expedited decision before the French Open begins on May 25. The ITIA accepted Sinner's explanation that a trainer used the substance to treat a wound on his finger and then massaged the world No. 1.

Sinner won the US Open in September after details of his case were made public. The 23-year-old Italian has subsequently faced questions from other players, including Nick Kyrgios, who believe he has received preferential treatment. Men's tennis chiefs have strongly denied that Jannik Sinner has been treated favorably and believe the sport would "survive" if the world No. 1 was eventually handed a lengthy ban.

The ongoing controversy surrounding the case has been a distraction for Sinner coming into Melbourne, with the Italian admitting on Friday that the saga is still bothering him. "Yes, of course you think about it. If I say I forgot about it, I'm lying. No, it's not like that," Sinner told reporters. "It has been bothering me for a long time, but it is what it is." "I am here trying to prepare for the Grand Slam. Let's see how it goes." Sinner will face Chile's Nicolas Jarry in the first round of the Australian Open.