IIie Natase believes Jannik Sinner would have been suspended for “two or three years” if he wasn’t an Italian
Tennis great IIie Natase reveals that Jannik Sinner would gotten a two-year suspension if he was a Romanian and not World No.1.
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Jannik Sinner and IIie Natase (via Tennis365/Eurosport)
For the past few days, Jannik Sinner‘s doping case has returned to the headlines. This was after the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced that Iga Swiatek tested positive for trimetazidine and was suspended for a month. Tennis great IIie Natase has shared that he believes Sinner received preferential treatment from the ITIA because of his nationality.
Just after Sinner was crowned Cincinnati Open champion, the ITIA announced that the Italian tested positive twice for clostebol in March. Despite the incident happening five months before the announcement, the tennis body ruled that after an independent tribunal investigation Sinner had “no fault or negligence.”
The tribunal accepted Sinner’s defense that the substance entered his body when receiving a massage from his former physio, Giacomo Naldi. The Italian was only stripped of his 400 ranking points and $320,000 prize money for reaching the semifinals of the Indian Wells Masters.
However, that caused a serious uproar in the tennis world. Natase’s fellow Romanian Simona Halep was given a four-year ban after testing positive for blood doping agent roxadustat at the 2022 US Open. However, the former World No. 1 received a reduced nine-month ban after appealing the case at the Court of Arbitration for Sports. IIie Natase recently alleged that if Sinner wasn’t an Italian, he would have been banned for two or three years.
Well, of course it is [a symbolic punishment]. Maybe it scared them [the ITIA] that Simona [Halep] returned the result to the CAS. But if the Italian wasn’t number 1 and was Romanian, how long do you think he would have been suspended? Still two to three years.
IIie Natase said via Golazo
In September, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed Sinner’s doping case to the Court of Arbitration (CAS) seeking that the Italian should be given up to two years’ ban. The hearing would be held next year and would determine Sinner’s fate.
Jannik Sinner enjoys off-season time at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Jannik Sinner has been enjoying his off-season vacation since after representing Italy in their Davis Cup victory in Malaga, The World No. 1 was in attendance in Abu Dhabi for the Formula 1 Grand Prix. He also waved the flag for Landon Norris and took some photos with superstar Charles Leclerc.
It was the first time Sinner has been spotted in the Middle East since winning the Six Kings Slam exhibition tournament in Saudi Arabia. Formula 1 confirmed Sinner’s attendance on social with a caption that read:
Hey Jannik! World No. 1 ranked tennis star @janniksin joins us for the season finale in Abu Dhabi!
Formula 1 via X
Hey Jannik! ?
— Formula 1 (@F1) December 8, 2024
World No. 1 ranked tennis star @janniksin joins us for the season finale in Abu Dhabi! ?#F1 #AbuDhabiGP pic.twitter.com/HJtAfSQcn3
Sinner ended the year winning eight titles including two Grand Slams and three Masters 1000 titles. The 23-year-old also claimed the Nitto ATP Finals title and finished the year as World No. 1 for the first time in his career.
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Victor Okechukwu
(688 Articles Published)