No. 1 Jannik Sinner gets 3-month ban in settlement of doping case, can return before French Open

Top-ranked tennis player Jannik Sinner accepted a three-month ban in a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency and said Saturday the agreement ends a case that was “hanging over me” since his two positive doping tests nearly a year ago.

WADA, which was seeking to ban the three-time Grand Slam champion from the sport for at least one year, had challenged a decision last year by the International Tennis Integrity Agency not to suspend Sinner for what the ITIA judged was accidental contamination by a banned anabolic steroid last March.

Sinner’s explanation — that trace amounts of Clostebol in his doping sample was due to a massage from a trainer who used the substance after cutting his own finger — had been accepted.

The timing means the 23-year-old Italian won’t miss any Grand Slam tournaments. The French Open, the season’s next major, starts May 25.

“This case had been hanging over me now for nearly a year and the process still had a long time to run with a decision maybe only at the end of the year,” Sinner, who won the Australian Open in January, said in a statement. “I have always accepted that I am responsible for my team and realize WADA’s strict rules are an important protection for the sport I love. On that basis I have accepted WADA’s offer to resolve these proceedings on the basis of a three-month sanction.”

The Montreal-based WADA had appealed the ITIA’s ruling to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland. It has formally withdrawn the appeal.

“WADA accepts the athlete’s explanation for the cause of the violation as outlined in the first instance decision. WADA accepts that Mr. Sinner did not intend to cheat, and that his exposure to Clostebol did not provide any performance-enhancing benefit and took place without his knowledge as the result of negligence of members of his entourage,” it said in Saturday’s announcement.

“However,” the WADA statement continued, “under the code and by virtue of CAS precedent, an athlete bears responsibility for the entourage’s negligence. Based on the unique set of facts of this case, a three-month suspension is deemed to be an appropriate outcome. As previously stated, WADA did not seek a disqualification of any results, save that which was previously imposed by the tribunal of first instance.”

WADA added that the International Tennis Federation and ITIA, “both co-respondents to WADA’s CAS appeal, neither of which appealed the first-instance decision, both accepted the case resolution agreement. ”

The ATP Tour pointed to WADA’s confirmation that Sinner “had no intent to violate anti-doping rules and gained no competitive advantage.”

“This case is an important reminder of players’ responsibility to carefully manage the products and treatments they or their entourages use,” the governing body added in a statement Saturday.

On Friday, Sinner posted a video on Instagram of himself training in Doha at the Qatar Open, which starts next week. He was also scheduled to play in an exhibition in Las Vegas next month.

The suspension is from Feb. 9 to May 4.

Sinner could return at his home tournament, the Italian Open in Rome, which starts May 7.

Italian Tennis and Padel Federation president Angelo Binaghi noted that while the case was “a shameful injustice,” the ban will mark “the end of a nightmare” for Sinner.

Binaghi adds that the settlement “demonstrates Jannik’s innocence” and that “all of Italy” will welcome him back at the Italian Open.

The ITIA said it acknowledged the settlement but in its statement Saturday reiterated that “we were satisfied that the player had established the source of the prohibited substance and that the breach was unintentional. Today’s outcome supports this finding.”

Sinner’s London-based lawyer, Jamie Singer commented: “I am delighted that Jannik can finally put this harrowing experience behind him. WADA has confirmed the facts determined by the Independent Tribunal. It is clear that Jannik had no intent, no knowledge, and gained no competitive advantage. Regrettably, errors made by members of his team led to this situation.”

The handling of Sinner’s case had raised questions about double standards. The positive tests weren’t publicly revealed until August because Sinner successfully appealed against being provisionally banned from playing. He then won the U.S. Open in September. Novak Djokovic said he agreed there is “a lack of consistency.”

In late November, five-time major champion Iga Swiatek accepted a one-month suspension after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine. Swiatek, the world No. 2, had failed a drug test in August, and the ITIA accepted her explanation that it was unintentional.

In the singles rankings, Sinner currently leads No. 2 Alexander Zverev by 3,695 points.

Sinner stands to lose 1,600 points due to the ban: 1,000 points from his Miami Open title last March; 400 points from reaching the Monte Carlo Masters semifinals last April; and 200 points from reaching the Madrid Open quarterfinals.

If Zverev wins several titles while Sinner is out, the German could take over the No. 1 ranking.

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AP Sports Writer Andrew Dampf contributed to this report.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis