Jasmine Paolini Demands Changes in WADA’s Rules After Jannik Sinner’s ‘Strange’ and ‘Unfair’ Doping Ban
Jannik Sinner is preparing to play his first match after the three-month doping ban he received from the WADA.
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Jasmine Paolini, Jannik Sinner (Image via X/Jimmie48 Photography, The Tennis Podcast)
Jannik Sinner‘s doping ban has lifted as he is preparing for the Italian Open where he will play his first match since the final of this year’s Australian Open. He will be locking horns with the winner of the first-round match between Mariano Navone and Federico Cina.
Sinner had clostebol in his sample due to which, he was provisionally suspended by the International Anti-Doping Agency (ITIA), who didn’t hand him a ban because the banned steroid contaminated him during physiotherapy sessions. But the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) intervened and appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to hand Sinner a lengthy ban because of the negligence of his team members.
But before the scheduled CAS hearing, the WADA reached a case resolution with Sinner and instead handed him a three-month ban, which was lifted on May 4. Sinner, following the Italian Open, will also be playing the Hamburg European Open before the French Open.
His compatriot Jasmine Paolini too is in Rome to chase her first title of the season. Ahead of her first match, Paolini, in the pre-tournament press conference, made her feelings known about Sinner’s doping scandal.
What happened to him is strange and, in my opinion, unfair. He is an incredible person and he did not deserve what happened to him. Contamination is frightening because we have no control over everything we come into contact with. WADA said it would change the rules in 2027: perhaps it should have done so sooner.
Jasmine Paolini said at the press tournament press conference
Paolini is scheduled to kick-start her campaign in the second round against New Zealand’s Lulu Sun, who defeated Georgia Pedone. The sixth seed has reached only two semifinals this year: at the Miami Open and the Stuttgart Open.
Lorenzo Sonego makes his feelings known on Jannik Sinner’s comeback
Last year, Jannik Sinner lifted eight official titles, three of which were the Australian Open, the Italian Open, and the ATP Finals. He ended the season with a 73-6 win-loss record. But his incredible season was marred by the doping controversy.
Despite dealing with the scandal, he continued his winning ways in the 2025 season, defending the Australian Open by breezing past Alexander Zverev. He then chose not to defend the Rotterdam Open, following which, he arrived in Doha for the Qatar Open but before that, the WADA announced that they had handed the Italian a three-month ban.
It will be interesting to watch how Sinner performs in his home tournament, given that he will be entering the Italian Open without having match practice. Because of the ban, he missed four Masters 1000 tournaments: Indian Wells, the Miami Open, the Monte Carlo Masters, and the Madrid Open. His compatriot Lorenzo Sonego, who will kick-start his campaign against Roman Andres Burruchaga in the first round, said the ban did not affect Sinner’s mentality.
He has a crazy desire to compete. He can’t wait to get back to what he loves, to feel the adrenaline of the match. He is a very competitive guy. Staying away from tournaments must not have been easy, also because it wasn’t right that he was out. I saw him ready, eager to give everything as he has always done.
Lorenzo Sonego told La Gazzetta dello Sport
In the third clay-court Masters 1000 of the season, the three-time Grand Slam champion is projected to meet three-time Grand Slam finalist Casper Ruud in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, he could face this year’s Miami Open champion Jakub Mensik.
The 23-year-old could set up a blockbuster showdown with four-time Major champion Carlos Alcaraz. Sinner has not yet won his home tournament and skipped it last year because of an injury.
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