Sinner Settles With WADA, Accepts 3-Month Ban, Won’t Miss Rome, Won’t Miss French Open

WADA was due to take Jannik Sinner to court in mid-April, but the World Anti Doping Agency announced earlier today that they have agreed to a resolution with the Italian in his doping case.

Under the agreement, Sinner will serve his period of ineligibility from 9 February 2025 to 11:59 pm on 4 May 2025 (which includes a credit for four days previously served by the athlete while he was under a provisional suspension). Sinner can return to official training activity from 13 April 2025, whatever that means.

Sinner will miss Masters events at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, and Madrid. Sinner will be available to make his return at the Rome Masters and then of course the French Open.

WADA agreed that Sinner was not at fault for his two previous positive tests, but bore responsibility for his team’s actions which led to the violation.

The statement read, “WADA accepts that Mr. Sinner did not intend to cheat, and that his exposure to clostebol did not provide any performance-enhancing benefit and took place without his knowledge as the result of negligence of members of his entourage. However, under the Code and by virtue of CAS precedent, an athlete bears responsibility for the entourage’s negligence. Based on the unique set of facts of this case, a three-month suspension is deemed to be an appropriate outcome.”

Further, WADA did not agree with the ITIA decision to not suspend Sinner. The April appeal with CAS was to address that matter of suspension length. However, the two parties — WADA and Sinner — came to an agreement behind closed doors. WADA was originally seeking a 1-2 year ban, but accepted the 3-month ban.

Said Sinner, “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 3 month sanction.”