Jannik Sinner declared he was “not guilty” and played with a clear mind in the Australian Open despite a two-year ban hanging over his head. The Italian world No. 1 defended the Australian Open crown on Sunday night and won his third career Grand Slam title, defeating Alexander Zverev 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 .
The tennis world marveled at how well Sinner played at Melbourne Park over the past two weeks after winning three straight majors on hard courts, becoming only the third man in the Open era behind Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. (2024 Australian Open, 2024 US Open and 2025 Australian Open). However, the world No. 1’s future is shrouded in uncertainty and he may not play another Grand Slam at the French Open in May.
The Italian star is set to face the Swiss Court of Arbitration for Sport in April, with the world affairs body seeking a two-year suspension. Sinner tested positive twice for the steroid Clostebol, which was banned last March, but the International Tennis Federation cleared him of any wrongdoing.
Why is Jannik Sinner facing a two-year suspension?
The ITF accepted that his now-covered masher had unintentionally contaminated his fingers after applying steroid spray to his fingers before massaging the sinner without gloves on. The banned drug entered the sinner’s system through a skin condition, which meant he had open pain in his back.
Sinner successfully appealed for an interim suspension and was allowed to continue playing, and the ITF later cleared him. However, WADA, the world’s top anti-doping agency, appealed that decision and took the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Wada accepts that the sinner did not dope intentionally, but believes he should be suspended for his negligence. There is a belief that professional athletes should be responsible for the entire team they recruit.
Wada is pushing for a maximum two-year ban – the same punishment Australian swimmer Shayna Jack received after proving she had taken a banned drug without her knowledge. Jack was initially banned four years before it was cut in half on appeal.
Reactions before Jannik Sinner’s Cas Hearing
In Sunday night’s post-match press conference, Sinner said there was no extra motivation to win the Australian Open. “That’s not the case. What happened now happened,” he said. “I keep playing like this because I have a clear mind about what happened.
“If I knew I was guilty I wouldn’t have played like this and that’s it. I believe it will be a positive outcome (at the CAS hearing). At the moment I am I don’t think about it. Of course, there are certain moments of the day when you wish you didn’t have this problem.
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In addition to his two Australian Open titles and last year’s US Open trophy, Sinner won the season-ending ATP Finals Championship and ushered Italy to Davis Cup glory in 2024.
“Maybe the second serve is a little more aggressive and tries to sneak into the net a little more,” he said. “Certainly there are some areas where I can improve. I want to be a better player. I’m not just looking at results. It’s important to say, ‘OK, I’ve improved as a player.’ And that’s much more important. ”
Jannik Sinner says he can’t play if he knows he’s guilty of intentional doping.
“I keep playing like this because I have a clear mind about what happened. I wouldn’t play like this if I knew I was guilty. That’s all.”
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— Tennis Letter (@thetennisletter) January 26, 2025
At AAP
