American tennis legend believes Jannik Sinner “should never have been suspended”
Jannik Sinner three-month suspension settlement with WADA has received criticism from current and former tennis players
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Jannik Sinner (Image via X/The Tennis Letter)
Jannik Sinner is serving a three-month suspension for his doping case. The World No.1 reached an agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in February. But that has led to divided opinions about the case. American tennis legend Patrick McEnroe revealed that the Italian should not have been suspended in the first place.
Sinner twice tested positive for clostebol in March 2024. The 23-year-old defended that a member of his team accidentally contaminated him. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) accepted Sinner’s argument but in September last year, WADA appealed the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) seeking for sanctions.
The case was supposed to be heard in April, which will determine the possibility of a one or two year suspension for Sinner should CAS rule in WADA’s favor. However, Sinner’s team and the agency reached an agreement in February to a settlement suspension of three months. The deal has been criticized by current and former players.
However, Patrick McEnroe believes that Sinner wasn’t supposed to be suspended in the first place. The American legend argued that the Italian followed the due process as he was supposed to do.
I don’t think he should have been suspended. They went through the process exactly as it was meant to go. I’m not saying it isn’t possible that players have figured out how to beat the system. But if you go by what we know, and what the proper protocols were, he was innocent. The argument that other players were treated badly, and therefore we should treat him badly, is absurd.
Patrick McEnroe said via Tennis
Sinner suspension, which began on February 9, is set to end on May 4. The Italian last professional match was at the Australian Open final, where he defeated Alexander Zverev in straight sets.
Jannik Sinner says he’s not sure what reception he will receive on his return from suspension
Jannik Sinner’s return to the court coincides with the Italian Open, which starts on May 7, three days after his suspension ends. The World No.1 will be hoping to get support from his home-town crowd on his return. However, when asked, he revealed that he is not sure about the reception he will receive in Rome.
I can’t answer this question as I don’t know what could happen. I know how things went, I know I am innocent. I am calm because in the end I know that what I want to do is to play tennis and be serene. That’s the end of the story. So, I am sure all will go well, even if at the beginning it will take a while to start over.
Jannik Sinner said via Sky Sports
Sinner didn’t play at the Italian Open last year after he sustained an injury at the Madrid Open. Also, he hasn’t won a clay title in almost three years, the last time he won the surface was at the 2022 Croatia Open in Umag.
Patrick McEnroe has an unbelievable “firepower technique”
Joao Fonseca’s rise in the ATP this season has been nothing but phenomenal. The Brazilian teenager claimed his first tour-level title at the Argentina Open in February. He then earned, on his debut, three victories at the Sunshine Double. Patrick McEnroe revealed that the 18-year-old star has been pretty unbelievable.
I just think he’s got more firepower, his technique all around is pretty unbelievable. Mensik’s got a little bit more of a funky forehand. He’s got amazing speed, but Fonseca to me looks like he has everything.
Patrick McEnroe said
Fonseca has enjoyed more fame than his fellow teenage star Jakub Mensik. Though Mensik stunned the world at the recently concluded Miami Open, he has yet to reach the fame Fonseca has enjoyed.
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