Carlos Alcaraz breaks silence on WADA’s controversial three-month ban on Jannik Sinner

Carlos Alcaraz will be the top seed at the Qatar Open after the WADA imposed a three-month ban on World No.1 Jannik Sinner.

Carlos Alcaraz breaks silence on WADA’s controversial three-month ban on Jannik Sinner

Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner (Images via X)

What does Carlos Alcaraz have to say about the controversial verdict on Jannik Sinner given by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)? WADA took the tennis world by surprise when they announced that they settled an agreement with Sinner about the doping case.

WADA, which had challenged the verdict given by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and demanded a long ban on the World No.1, withdrew their appeal. They have handed Sinner a ban of just three months.

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WADA is facing criticism from all corners, but Alcaraz, who is considered Sinner’s arch-rival, rather chose not to make his feelings known on the controversy. He is in Doha for the Qatar Open and has entered the tournament as a first seed because of Sinner’s ban.

The truth is there’s little to say. Whether he is there or not doesn’t influence us. We remain focused on us and our goals.

Carlos Alcaraz said during an interview with Diario SPORT

Sinner, apart from the Qatar Open, will miss several important tournaments, including the four ATP Masters 1000 events: Indian Wells, Miami Open, Monte Carlo Masters, and the Madrid Open. As the Italian Open is scheduled to start on May 7, Sinner, whose ban ends on May 5, will be able to play the home tournament as well as the French Open.

Carlos Alcaraz reveals if Jannik Sinner’s ban is chance for him to reclaim No.1 ranking

Jannik Sinner is on the cusp of losing his No.1 ranking as he is expected to lose more than 2000 points. Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz, who stand in second and third position, respectively, in the ATP rankings, will be battling it out to dethrone Sinner from the top.

Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz (3)
Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X)

The number one is always a goal. As I said, him not being there doesn’t change anything for us. We are trying to get better at what we do and focused on continuing to work to get to number one.

Carlos Alcaraz said

Alcaraz, who is scheduled to meet Marin Cilic in his opening round on Monday (February 17), will be bidding to win his second title of the season after the Rotterdam Open, which was also his first indoor hardcourt trophy. He missed the South American swing and chose the Middle East tournaments, stating (in the aforementioned interview) that it’s always good to change the schedule in tennis.

In Doha, Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic are on the same side of the draw once again. The last time they faced each other, Djokovic secured a four-set win over him in the Australian Open quarterfinals.