Jannik Sinner’s biggest problem revealed after Serena Williams’ doping comments
Serena Williams lit the blue touch paper under the Jannik Sinner doping case with her contentious comments on the Italian’s punishment – and she will not be alone with her feisty views.
Sinner is currently serving a three-month suspension that expires on May 4 after he tested positive on two occasions for the banned anabolic steroid clostebol last year.
The world No 1 and his legal team reached an agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) after claiming he had been inadvertently contaminated while being massaged by a member of his team.
WADA accepted that the current Australian Open and US Open champion “did not intend to cheat” and that the result was due to “negligence of members of his entourage”.
The deal was struck after Tennis365 revealed the minimum punishment Sinner would face if he took his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport [CAS] would be a one-year ban in our exclusive interview with International Tennis Integrity Agency [ITIA] CEO Karen Moorhouse in December.
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Sinner’s ‘deal’ has been the subject of intense conjecture, with the timing of his ban ensuring he will not miss a Grand Slam tournament and will return in time to play in his home ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Rome next month.
The intervention of 23-time Grand Slam champion Williams with her comments on the case is certain to fan the flames ahead of Sinner’s return next month, as she gave her views to Time Magazine.
“Fantastic personality. I love the guy, I love this game. He’s great for the sport,” said Williams as she spoke about Sinner.
“I’ve been put down so much, I don’t want to bring anyone down. Men’s tennis needs him.
“If I did that (tested positive for doping), I would have gotten 20 years. Let’s be honest. I would have gotten grand slams taken away from me.”
Williams’ comments will spark a fresh debate over Sinner’s case, especially as she suggested her old rival Maria Sharapova was treated differently when she was banned for failing a doping test.
Sharapova was initially banned for two years in 2016 and argued on appeal that it had been an administrative error and that the punishment was “unfairly harsh.”
CAS concluded that it would be wrong to call the five-time Grand Slam winner an “intentional doper” and reduced her suspension.
“Just weirdly and oddly, I can’t help but think about Maria all this time,” Williams said. “I can’t help but feel for her.”
Sinner will be welcomed back to tennis as a returning hero among his Italian fans in Rome next month, but the perception that he has been given a lenient punishment may haunt him, even though the ITIA insist Sinner was not given preferential treatment in his case.
ITIA chief Moorhouse also rejected claims that women’s world No 2 Iga Swiatek was given a lenient punishment after her failed drug test last year.
“It’s the same rules and the same processes for every player,” said ITIA chief Moorhouse, speaking to Tennis365 in an exclusive interview.
“All cases are different and each case turns on individual facts. Cases can also be quite complex, so it isn’t right to look at two headlines and draw comparisons between two cases as the detail is always the key part.
“If you test positive for a banned substance, your starting point for a possible sanction is four years. If you can demonstrate that it was not intentional, that reduces to two years. Then, if you can prove there was no fault, there is no sanction.
“In addition, a decision of ‘no significant fault or negligence’ could fall between a reprimand and two years. That applies to any cases around a contaminated substance.
“It’s the same rules and the same processes for every player. All cases are different and each case turns on individual facts.
“Cases can also be quite complex, so it isn’t right to look at two headlines and draw comparisons as the detail is always the key part.”
Sinner will have plenty of questions coming his way on his doping suspension when he returns to action, with this story certain to be a stain on his record for the rest of his career.
For now, Sinner’s focus is on his comeback and his latest practice session in Beaulieu-sur-Mer, with his friend and rival Jack Draper his hitting partner.
Draper confirmed he is a big threat at the top of the men’s game when he took advantage of Sinner’s absence to lift the Indian Wells title last month and now these two are set to renew their rivalry when Sinner returns to action in Rome next month.
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