Jannik Sinner’s ‘staggering’ prize money since his failed drug tests is revealed
Jannik Sinner has enjoyed the best year of his career so far, yet many believe he should have been on the sidelines for much of 2024 after failing two drug tests back in March.
Sinner twice tested positive for an anabolic steroid in March but on August 20, an independent tribunal determined he was not to blame and imposed no punishment.
The tribunal accepted Sinner’s explanation that the banned substance entered his body as a result of a massage from his physio, who had used a spray containing the steroid to treat a cut on their finger.
But WADA has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, seeking to impose a ban of up to two years on the 23-year-old Italian, after theeir appeal was lodged last month.
A statement from WADA said: “It is WADA’s view that the finding of ‘no fault or negligence’ was not correct under the applicable rules.
“WADA is seeking a period of ineligibility of between one and two years. WADA is not seeking a disqualification of any results, save that which has already been imposed by the tribunal of first instance.”
Sinner might have expected to have been suspended from tennis after failing a doping test but he was allowed to continue and won the Miami Open title in his first event after he was informed of the the incident by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).
The win secured him a prize money cheque of $1,100,000 and he backed that up by collecting €274,425 after a run to the Monte-Carlo Masters semi-finals and €161,995 from his quarter-final appearance at the Madrid Masters.
He won €650,000 from a semi-final appearance at the French Open, €421,790 from winning the Halle grass court tournament and £375,000 from a quarter-final appearance at Wimbledon.
A $170,940 prize money payment went to Sinner from a quarter-final appearance at the Canadian Open in August and he got $1,049,460 for winning the Cincinnati Masters and $3,600,000 from his US Open win.
A defeat against Carlos Alcaraz in the China Open final saw him add $374,340 to his total, with $1,100,000 coming his way after a win at the Shanghai Masters.
Throw in the $6million he collected for his win at the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia and he has earned a staggering $13,970,000 since he failed a drug test at the Indian Wells Masters tournament eight months ago.
If Sinner was banned while he awaited a verdict from the ITIA on his case, as many players have been after failing a drug test, he would have returned to action at the US Open.
Yet Sinner’s reputation and potential earnings for 2024 would have taken a battering if he had served a drug ban, with the life-changing amount of money he has won this year highlighting how significant the decision taken by the ITIA to allow him to continue to play was for the short-term and long-term history of tennis.
The WADA appeal ensures this explosive story will continue to rumble on into 2025, with Sinner now revealing for the first time how big a roll it has taken on him.
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Now Siner has given his verdict on the events of the last few months, as his interview with Sky Sport Uno in Italy that was recorded last month has now been released.
“There are many things that happened in this period that I tried to put aside and understand what is the right thing to do at that moment,” said Sinner.
“I’m talking about myself now, I have to thank my team that was close to me the whole time because I needed it. For example, Darren didn’t go home to Australia and came to me, he was with me, my dad came. Thanks to them I felt safe. Protected.
“And precisely for this reason when I say that when you win tournaments or even matches that mean a lot, I always dedicate them to the people who are close to me, because without them I don’t know how I could have overcome all of this.
“I’m happy with how I handled it because it was very difficult. But the moment I go on the court and put on my cap, for me only the tennis ball exists.
“On the court, I feel safe. Then we saw that it is difficult to play like that, but that is another matter. But I feel safe.
“When I see the ball and I am about to serve, all my focus and desire is to hit the ball on the court. Because in the end it is my job and my passion. The problem and the work had to be separated.”
Sinner went on to reveal his turmoil reached boiling point the night before he took on Daniil Medvedev in the Wimbledon quarter-finals in July, as he struggled to get to the end of the match due to physical issues.
“I have always tried to feel good on the court, I have always trained, I have always prepared myself mentally to play tennis well and in the end it is precisely for this reason that I succeeded. Also because, this is the most important thing, if I had known that it was my fault, in my opinion, I would not have played like that.
“It was difficult first of all because I couldn’t open up to many people,” he added. “It was a very complicated period because I didn’t know how I had to behave, personally, I didn’t know what would come out, I didn’t know what would happen with the team.
“It was very difficult, normally I’m always in control, and instead there it was quite easy to lose control.
“After a few weeks, I woke up one morning and said, ‘I didn’t do anything wrong’. I didn’t know anything, and so for me, it was already over, then what comes out from the judge, what can or can’t come out in the end I can’t control anymore, right?”
“Of course, it was complicated when I knew but nothing had come out yet.”
