Aryna Sabalenka doesn’t trust “how the system operates” after Jannik Sinner’s doping saga

Jannik Sinner agreed with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) for a three-month suspension settlement for doping case.

Aryna Sabalenka doesn’t trust “how the system operates” after Jannik Sinner’s doping saga

Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner (via ATP/X)

Jannik Sinner‘s controversial three-month suspension settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has continued to dominate media headlines. The Italian star’s agreement with the anti-doping body has received huge criticism from current and former players. Amidst this, Aryna Sabalenka has admitted that she can’t trust the system following the doping saga.

Sinner’s long doping saga seemingly came to an end on Saturday after WADA announced that it has agreed a three-month suspension settlement with the ATP World No.1. The agency revealed that Sinner admitted partial responsibility for the mistakes his team made that led to him testing positive twice for clostebol in March last year.

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Before then, Sinner was facing a potential one or two-year ban from the sport after WADA lodged an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) against his exoneration by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) in August. But, now the case has been withdrawn following the agreement with Sinner.

Nonetheless, many players, including Tara Moore and Nick Kyrgios, voiced their criticism against the impartiality of the anti-doping body. But, when Sabalenka was asked about it in Dubai, she refused to comment on the outcome. However, she admitted that she cannot trust the anti-doping system.

Seeing how everything works, I am very cautious about everything I consume. I’ve reached a point where I won’t even leave a glass I’m drinking from unattended. I have this notion that if someone makes a mistake or if I accidentally use a cream containing a banned substance, I will be the one to pay the price. I fear how the system operates; I don’t know how I can trust it.

Aryna Sabalenka said as per Puntodebreak

Sabalenka will feature at the Dubai Duty Tennis Championship on Tuesday (February 17). The WTA World No.1 will face Ekaterina Alexandrova, a rematch of the Qatar Open, in which she lost in three sets.

Iga Swiatek says she trusts Jannik Sinner’s doping settlement process

Despite Jannik Sinner‘s doping saga being the center of discussion, Iga Swiatek, who served only a one-month suspension last year, has also been criticized. The five-time Grand Slam champion tested positive for trimetazidine in August 2024 but her case was not appealed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner (via ATP/X)

However, following Sinner’s settlement with WADA, she was asked about it during her press conference at the Dubai Tennis Championship. The WTA World No. 2 said that she trust that the process was fair to Sinner.

Because of Jannik’s or my situation, we are kind of even celebrities, besides playing tennis. Everybody thinks of it from a hundred different perspectives. But I just try to stick to the facts and read the documents. I trust that the process at the end went fair. That’s the only thing I do because I try not to judge.

Iga Swiatek said via the Japan Times

Swiatek failed to defend her Qatar Open title after losing to Jelena Ostapenko in the semifinals. The Polish star now has a chance to redeem herself at the Dubai Tennis Championship, where she will open her account against a qualifier.