Patrick Mouratoglou believes Jannik Sinner’s doping suspension was “an arrangement” so he could play in this tournament

Jannik Sinner's doping three-month suspension with WADA will end on May 4, three days before the Italian Open.

Patrick Mouratoglou believes Jannik Sinner’s doping suspension was “an arrangement” so he could play in this tournament

Jannik Sinner and Patrick Mouratoglou (via X/Sky Sports)

The tennis world has come to the conclusion that Jannik Sinner didn’t take a banned substance deliberately, but the agreement between the Italian star and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has left many aghast. One such is legendary coach Patrick Mouratoglou, who believes that the three-month suspension settlement handed to Sinner was an arrangement.

Sinner was exonerated by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) in August for his doping saga. The World No.1 defended that clostebol inadvertently made its way into his system because of a mistake by his ex-physio. However, that was not the end of the matter as WADA appealed the case to the Court of Arbitration (CAS), demanding a one or two-year ban.

The case was set to be heard in CAS this April, but the anti-doping body made a surprise move last week when they announced that it has agreed on a three-month suspension settlement with Sinner. The suspension that started on February 9, is set to end on May 4, 2025.

Patrick Mouratoglou explained in a video on Instagram that the suspension timing would allow Sinner to return to the court at the ATP 1000 Masters event in Rome, in his home country. The 54-year-old coach added that the settlement was an arrangement to make sure Sinner doesn’t also miss the French Open, which begins on May 19.

It was a decision that is ideal for him because he could play the Australian Open – and win it – and is going to be safe to play the next Grand Slam, which is at the end of May-start of June at Roland Garros. So, it looks like they made an arrangement to make it look like that banned him a little bit, but not too much so he can play the Grand Slams, and, if you look at it, he’s going to be able to come back and play Rome just before Roland Garros – being Italian – so it looks even more like a set-up.

Patrick Mouratoglou said via Instagram

Sinner was supposed to be in action at the Doha Open but was immediately removed from the entry list after his ban announcement. Also, there have been calls from journalists that his 2025 Australian Open title be stripped from him because he accepted that he violated the doping regulations.

Patrick Mouratoglou slams tennis anti-doping body for lack of transparency in Jannik Sinner’s doping case

One major criticism that has been held in Jannik Sinner‘s case was the lack of transparency from the ITIA. Sinner was reported to have tested positive twice for clostebol at the Indian Wells Open in March last year. However, the case was not made public until August after the ITIA had concluded its investigations.

Jannik Sinner
Jannik Sinner (Image via X)

But, in normal circumstances, players are first suspended before investigations are done and the public is also informed. Patrick Mouratoglou revealed in the aforementioned Instagram video that it was a clear display of double standards by those in authority.

In Sinner’s case, the ITIA, which is the anti-doping [agency], have decided to cover it [up], they didn’t make it public that he has been controlled positive, they didn’t say anything [they didn’t say] that he has been suspended, provisionally, like every other player would have been. So, this is clearly a double standard.

Patrick Mouratoglou said

Mouratoglou added that he believes Sinner did not intentionally take the banned substance. However, his case is certainly a massive scandal and a blow to the sport.