World No. 1 Jannik Sinner accepts three-month ban from tennis to settle doping case

Jannik Sinner has accepted a three-month ban from tennis to settle a case which has lingered over the sport for months after he twice tested positive for a banned substance, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced on Saturday.

Jannik Sinner has accepted a three-month ban from tennis to settle a case which has lingered over the sport for months after he twice tested positive for a banned substance, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced on Saturday. The men’s world No. 1 will be banned from February 9 to May 4 after twice testing positive for banned substance Clostebol in March 2024, meaning that he will be eligible to play in the French Open – the next grand slam on the calendar. Sinner had previously avoided suspension from competition with the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announcing in August that he wasn’t at fault for the positive tests. Two samples collected eight days apart at Indian Wells in March 2024 showed low levels of Clostebol, an anabolic steroid. In a statement posted on social media in August, Sinner said the positive tests stemmed from “inadvertent contamination of Clostebol” through treatment from his physiotherapist. The 23-year-old also said that his physio had been applying an over-the-counter spray to their own skin – not on Sinner – to treat a small wound. WADA then lodged an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) following the decision made by an independent tribunal. Following its agreement with Sinner, WADA said it has now formally withdrawn its appeal to CAS.