British tennis legend believes WADA’s agreement with Jannik Sinner leaves “pretty sour taste for the sport”
Jannik Sinner is to serve his three-month suspension from February 9 to May 4, which will see him miss four Masters 1000 tournaments.
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Jannik Sinner and Tim Henman (via X/The Mirror)
The tennis world waited for over five months to get a verdict on Jannik Sinner’s doping case. The Italian, who escaped suspension from the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), accepted a three-month suspension settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on Saturday (February 15).
The World No.1 doping case began in March 2024 when he tested positive twice for the anabolic steroid clostebol. He appealed the doping test claiming the substance inadvertently entered his system, which the ITIA accepted and found “no fault or negligence” on his part in the contamination.
However, WADA challenged the verdict at the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) and asked that the Italian star be banned from the sport for between one and two years. Now, it has been confirmed that WADA has reached an agreement with Sinner and he will be banned for only three months.
Tim Henman, a British tennis legend, revealed that he doesn’t believe that Sinner intentionally wanted to cheat, however, the settlement with WADA left plenty of questions for the sport.
First and foremost, I don’t think in any way he has been trying to cheat at any stage; I don’t believe that. However, when I read this statement this morning it just seems a little bit too convenient. Obviously having just won the Australian Open, to miss three months of the Tour and therefore to be eligible to play at Roland Garros, the timing couldn’t have been any better for Sinner, but I still think it leaves a pretty sour taste for the sport.
Tim Henman said via Sky Sports
"It just seems a little bit too convenient."
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) February 15, 2025
Tim Henman reacts to Jannik Sinner accepting an immediate three-month ban from tennis. pic.twitter.com/W3CqA99Jyd
Sinner will serve his suspension from February 9 to May 4. The Italian will be eligible to return on the court at the Italian Open ahead of the French Open.
Jannik Sinner to face huge ranking consequence for his three-month suspension from tennis
Jannik Sinner accepting a three-month suspension may see his World No.1 ranking in jeopardy. The Italian will be missing important tournaments like the Indian Wells Masters and Miami Open. In fact, those two tournaments will cost him to lose 1360 points. However, he is guaranteed to lose 1,360 points in total.
Sinner, missing Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, and Madrid Open, will see his ranking points drop to 9,410, which will give room for Alexander Zverev, who is World No.2, to surpass him in the coming months. Also, Carlos Alcaraz, World No.3 has the chance to close the gap between him and Sinner.
Also, Sinner not playing for three months will be a concern as he’s known to get better in tournaments as he continues to win matches. With no competitive match and isolated in training, Sinner may suffer rust and may need time to get to his best when he is eligible to play in the ATP again.
He has already started the season well by winning the Australian Open, which is the only tournament he has featured in this season. He withdrew from the Rotterdam Open, which Alcaraz went on to win. This means Sinner will be away from tennis for almost four months.
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Victor Okechukwu
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