WADA settlement on three-month ban not unique to Jannik Sinner, says chief counsel

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) chief legal counsel stated that Jannik Sinner accepting a three-month ban, effective immediately, after reaching a settlement with WADA is not an isolated case. Although Sinner tested positive for clostebol, the investigation results indicated that he had no wrongdoing.

However, WADA was prepared to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), and Sinner faced a risk of up to a two-year ban. Ultimately, Sinner accepted the ban, which allowed him to return before the French Open in May. While he would miss some Masters tournaments, this decision was criticized by active and retired players and deemed "too convenient."

WADA's chief legal counsel for tennis, Ross Wenzel, stated that although Sinner did nothing wrong, the anti-doping agency had a responsibility to appeal because athletes are responsible for the negligence of their team members. "We appealed because athletes are responsible for their team under our rules and regulations... We reached a case resolution agreement, and WADA has reached about 70 such agreements in the past four years," Wenzel said in an interview with Reuters.

Wenzel added, "This is not a unique case for Mr. Sinner. We have done this for athletes at all levels. The facts of the case are there for everyone to see and read. We believe the way we handled this matter was transparent. Considering the special circumstances of this case, we believe a three-month ban is correct and fair."

Wenzel stated that WADA reviewed all of Sinner's samples from the 12 months prior to his two positive tests in March, and the results were all negative. He added, "There is no issue... It may be a complex factual scenario, but there is ample evidence to support that, and science excludes any form of doping situation."

Former world number one and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, the co-founder of the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), stated that most players believe the process was unfair. Iga Swiatek, the world's number two female player, also accepted a one-month ban last year after testing positive for the prohibited substance trimetazidine (TMZ), avoiding a lengthy suspension.

Although Djokovic did not imply that they intentionally did anything wrong, he stated that many players believe there is favoritism involved. Wenzel added, "Everyone has the right to express their opinion, and some of the people who have expressed opinions in this case are great champions. I would just say, please read carefully the detailed facts of this case as set out in the independent tribunal's ruling in August... and really understand those facts."

The tribunal has accepted the claim that clostebol entered Sinner's system from a member of Sinner's support team through massage and physiotherapy. Wenzel said, "If we thought Mr. Sinner should be banned for 12 months or 24 months - then we simply disagree. That is not WADA's view."