Jannik Sinner will serve an immediate three-month tennis ban after reaching a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
The Italian world No.1, who won the Australian Open title last month, failed two drug tests last year is suspended from February 9 to May 4.
Sinner twice tested positive for clostebol – a steroid that can be used to build muscle mass – with WADA accepting his explanation that he was accidentally contaminated by a massage from his physiotherapist, who had used a spray containing the banned substance to treat a finger cut.
WADA says the three-time Grand Slam winner, who will be able to return in time for the start of the French Open on May 19, ‘did not intend to cheat’ but insists that the 23-year-old is responsible for his team’s negligence.
In a statement on Saturday, WADA, who previously stated it was seeking a ban of between one and two years, said: ‘WADA accepts the athlete’s explanation for the cause of the violation as outlined in the first instance decision.
‘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.’
Sinner, who failed the two drug tests in March 2024, was cleared in August by an independent tribunal who determined he was not to blame, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced at the time.
The Italian tennis star then fired his physio Giacomo Naldi and trainer Umberto Ferrara – with Sinner claiming the latter had supplied Naldi with the spray which contained the banned substance.
It was initially thought that Sinner had escaped punishment before WADA appealed against the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in September.
In a statement released by his lawyers, Sinner said: ‘This case had been hanging over me 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 three-month sanction.’
The scandal surrounding Sinner was notably controversial with many feeling that he had benefited from specialist treatment, comparing his case to the likes of Simona Halep and other stars accused of doping.
Sinner, though, always denied those accusations and previously said: ‘I was treated like everyone else. The reason why I kept playing was because we knew exactly how it entered my system and where it was from. It was in the spray.
‘So all things considered, I haven’t had a different treatment. The process was very long.
‘Then after it went with bigger weight because when you feel like the result is coming – you still don’t know what’s coming. It was a not easy period for me.’
