“Aren’t they taking the pi**,” 2013 Wimbledon winner has ‘trouble forming an opinion’ after Jannik Sinner’s settlement with WADA

WADA formally withdrew their appeal to CAS and handed a three-month suspension to World No.1 Jannik Sinner.

“Aren’t they taking the pi**,” 2013 Wimbledon winner has ‘trouble forming an opinion’ after Jannik Sinner’s settlement with WADA

Jannik Sinner (Image via ATP/X)

Marion Bartoli is finding it hard to form an opinion about the recent announcement of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA); that they withdrew their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). WADA and Jannik Sinner have reached a settlement according to which Sinner has accepted a three-month suspension.

Now this stirred controversy as critics argue that WADA shouldn’t have appealed to the CAS, deeming the three-month ban meaningless. Bartoli, the 2013 Wimbledon champion, also questioned why WADA entered into a settlement agreement if they had initially demanded a suspension between one to two years.

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The president of the ATP is Italian and, as luck would have it, he [Sinner] will resume in Rome… When you put everything together, you still say to yourself, on a certain level, aren’t they taking the pi**? But, based on the evidence and what was said, I am no one to question that. So, I have a lot of trouble forming an opinion.

Marion Bartoli said on Les Grandes Gueules du Sport on RMC Sport

Sinner is handed a ban from February 9 to May 4. As per WADA, the 23-year-old is allowed to return to official training from April 13. He is expected to be back on the circuit at the Italian Open, the ATP 1000 tournament in Rome.

Liam Broady mocks WADA for reaching a settlement with Jannik Sinner

Amid a barrage of criticism, Liam Broady too made his feelings known on the Jannik Sinner and WADA situation. He is finding it hard to fathom that players can reach a settlement with the anti-doping organization.

Holger Rune, Jannik Sinner
Jannik Sinner (Image via ATP/ X)

Didn’t realise you could reach a settlement regarding a doping ban… Interesting. Back in time for French Open I guess?

Liam Broady wrote on X

Check out his post here:

WADA has already stated that they didn’t hold Sinner responsible for the contamination when they appealed to the CAS last year. They too agreed with the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) that the banned substance, clostebol, didn’t enhance his performance and that he was a victim of cross-contamination because of his team.

The three-month suspension means, Sinner cannot play the ongoing Qatar Open and will miss the first of the ATP Masters 1000 of the season, the Indian Wells. He won’t be able to defend his Miami Open title and is not eligible to play the Monte Carlo Masters and the Madrid Open. The three-time Grand Slam champion is expected to lose 2100 points due to the ban.