Jannik Sinner describes his current ban from tennis for an anti-doping violation as ‘unfair’ during his first interview since agreeing to the suspension.
The world No.1 is serving a three-month suspension after his legal team reached a case settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Last year Sinner tested positive for the banned steroid clostebol twice but was cleared of wrongdoing by a panel of three independent experts who concluded that he had no fault. The panel accepted Sinner’s explanation that his former physio was using a spray for a cut on his hand that contained clostebol and he unintentionally contaminated him during treatment.
However, WADA then launched an appeal arguing that the Italian had a degree of fault as he employs his team and is therefore partly responsible for making sure they are following correct protocol. At first, they sought a ban of between one and two years before agreeing to a three-month ban.
Sinner, who has always denied any wrongdoing, describes the agreement as a ‘lesser evil’ during an interview with Sky Sports Italy. He started the season by claiming his third Grand Slam title at the Australian Open which was a month before his ban came into effect.
“In the end, you have to choose the lesser evil and I believe that is what I have done. Even if sometimes it seems a bit unfair, all that I’m living, but then if I look at things from a different perspective it could have been worse. Even more unfairness. This is the way it is,” Sinner told Sky Italy.
The 23-year-old said he didn’t agree with the penalty issued and admitted it was tough for him to deal with. If he had gone to a hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) it is possible that he might have got a longer sentence. Until this weekend, he hadn’t spoken to the media about the subject and has been relatively quiet on social media.
“The decision to take the three-month suspension was rather quick. We accepted it quite quickly, even though I didn’t agree completely. There was a bit of back and forth with my lawyer and the people around me,” said Sinner. “After we took this decision, it took me a while to find myself again.“
“I was very fragile after what happened. I would tell a lie if I said I was a person without feelings or emotions. In life you learn, every year I learn more about myself, also about my value. It was not easy, very hard at times, but the people around me gave me the strength to understand what had happened.” He later added.
Whilst Sinner maintains his frustration with the situation, he has also received criticism from some about the ban given to him and its timing. The suspension ends just in time for the Italian Open, which is the biggest event in his home country. There have also been claims that he has received preferential treatment due to his status as a top player. Something that has been denied by the sports governing bodies.
Asked about the kind of reception he expects from his peers when he returns, Sinner admits he is unsure about what will happen.
“I can’t answer this question as I don’t know what could happen,” he said. “I know how things went, I know I am innocent.
“I am calm because in the end I know that what I want to do is to play tennis and be serene. That’s the end of the story. So, I am sure all will go well, even if at the beginning it will take a while to start over. These are questions I don’t know how to answer.”
As for his own goals, Sinner is eager to resume his dominance in the sport and fine-tune his game even more. He has won five out of his last six tournaments played on the ATP Tour. During that period, his only loss was to Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the China Open.
“At the beginning I counted the days, but now every day that goes by, as the time gets closer, I feel better physically and mentally,” he stated.
“Even if there is still time, it is a good opportunity for me to improve in those areas in which I had difficulties, on a surface on which I struggle. So, let’s try to do something different. Hopefully it works, otherwise we will have more time to try again.”
So far in his career, Sinner has won 19 titles and earned more than $39.3M in prize money.
