Doping: Jannik Sinner Accepts 3-month Ban

World number one Jannik Sinner has accepted the three-month suspension slammed on him after reaching a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) over his two positive doping tests last year.

The organisation confirmed on Saturday that the Italian tennis superstar has agreed to serve his ban from 9 February until 4 May.

This decision will make the 23-year-old eligible to play the upcoming French Open, starting on 19 May.

WADA had appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against a decision by the International Tennis Integrity Unit to clear Sinner of any wrongdoing after he tested positive for the banned substance clostebol during last year’s tournament in Indian Wells.

However, Olympics.com reports that Sinner claimed he was inadvertently contaminated by a member of his support team through massages and sports therapy.

“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,” the WADA statement read.

“However, under the Code and by virtue of CAS precedent, an athlete bears responsibility for the entourage’s negligence.”

Sinner is allowed to return to official training activity from 13 April 2025 while WADA has formally withdrawn its appeal to CAS.

“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 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 3-month sanction.”

The next tournament Sinner could play are the Italian Open which start on 7 May.