Ex-ATP pro lashes out at ‘unpleasant player’ Stan Wawrinka for remarks on Jannik Sinner’s ban from WADA
World No.1 Jannik Sinner and WADA reached a settlement agreement two months before the scheduled CAS hearing.
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Jannik Sinner, Stan Wawrinka (Images via ATP/X)
Daniele Bracciali, the Italian former tennis player, banned for life due to a betting case, came out in compatriot Jannik Sinner‘s support amid the doping ban. Sinner will be out for three months because the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has reached a settlement agreement with the World No.1.
WADA’s withdrawal of their appeal before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and the announcement that they banned Sinner for three months shocked the tennis world. His colleagues, former and current, have criticized the verdict, for they no longer trust the anti-doping bodies because of their varying judgments on similar doping cases.
Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka too voiced his concern when he wrote he didn’t “believe in clean sport anymore“. Bracciali, however, didn’t agree with the Swiss player and expressed his hope to see WADA following the same procedure they did in Sinner’s case.
Among the players who took a stand, I saw the statement of Wawrinka, who, by the way, is one of the most unpleasant players on the circuit. One thing to say is that WADA often has double standards. I hope that from now on, as in the Sinner case, players who find themselves in this situation will also be able to benefit from treatment that allows them to reach an agreement.
Daniele Bracciali told Fan Page
Bracciali feels that in tennis, even if players express happiness when others win, there’s a lot of “envy underneath“. This is why, according to the 47-year-old, some players perhaps don’t want to side with Sinner.
Daniele Bracciali lauds Jannik Sinner’s mental strength
Jannik Sinner tested positive for clostebol last year in March and the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) made the announcement of his failed drug test in August just a few days before the US Open. Despite the controversy, Sinner went on to clinch the title at Flushing Meadows.
Then after lifting his first ATP Finals trophy and ending the season with eight ATP titles, Sinner arrived in Melbourne in 2025 for the Australian Open and lifted the title with a straight-set win over Alexander Zverev. Daniele Bracciali lauded him for his consistent performance despite dealing with the doping scandal.
He manages to confirm himself as number one with a weight in his stomach, with a millstone around his neck even if he doesn’t show it, those who don’t live these experiences can’t understand them. They change your life. The wait is unnerving and you lose your head. He who manages to stay there anyway: you have to take your hat off to him.
Daniele Bracciali told Fan Page
Sinner’s ban will lift on May 4. The 23-year-old may make his tennis comeback at the Italian Open, which starts on May 7, following which, he would be gearing up for the French Open.
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