Jannik Sinner drug suspension could be ‘seismic’ as appeal date looms
Jannik Sinner’s possible suspension from tennis will send shockwaves through the sport, with Sky Sports Tennis lead presenter Gigi Salmon admitting the looming court hearing will be a pivotal moment in the 2025 tennis story.
Sinner failed two doping tests last March after the anabolic steroid clostebol was found to be in his system.
He claimed the product had been transferred to him after a member of his team gave him a massage after using a cream that contained the banned substance.
Using that defence, the Italian successfully argued that he was not responsible for the clostebol entering his system, with the International Tennis Integrity Agenda (ITIA) finding in Sinner’s favour and not banning the Italian for the positive test.
That decision has been appealed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), with their case set to be heard between April 16-17.
The ITIA has confirmed to Tennis365 that Sinner faces a minimum one-year suspension if the verdict goes against him, with Salmon stunned by the prospect of a long ban for the world No 1.
“Sinner is the player to beat at the moment, but in terms of the court hearing, we don’t know how it’s going to go and I just can’t imagine him being banned for a year,” Salmon told Tennis365 in an exclusive interview.
“When I was asked to make my predictions for year-end No 1, I went with Alcaraz because of the situation around Sinner.
“It’s going to be harder for Novak Djokovic from now on, Sascha Zverev still has that issue in Grand Slams in terms of getting over the line, so the default will be Carlos Alcaraz if Sinner is banned.”
Salmon admits she is astonished by Sinner’s ability to block out the prospect of a long ban from the sport and continue to play at such a high level, with his Australian Open win another example of his flawless brilliance.
“It is hard to see a weakness in Sinner,” added Salmon. “He said in Australia that the weakness in his game may be his volleys, but they are not that bad.
“It was a bit like Djokovic in his prime when you might have said his weakness was his overheads, but how many of those would he hit in a match?
“With Sinner, I’m struggling to find a weakness. How do you ruffle him, how do you get under his skin? How do you get him off-balance? The skiing he did has helped his balance, which is just perfection.
“What impressed me most about him last year was that with everything going on was how mentally strong he stayed. It was just ridiculous.
“He will know the punishment he could get and if it is one year, that would be seismic. To continue to play the way he has done with that hanging over him is amazing.”
ITIA CEO Karen Moorhouse spoke exclusively to Tennis365 about the Sinner case, as she explained why a minimum one-year suspension will be handed out to Sinner if the CAS case goes against him.
“If you test positive for a banned substance, your starting point for a possible sanction is four years,” Moorhouse told Tennis365 in an exclusive interview.
“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.
More Tennis News
Length of Jannik Sinner’s suspension would send shockwaves through tennis says former world No 7
“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.
“Let’s take Swiatek and Halep. The CAS tribunal found that her (Halep’s) supplement was contaminated. So just in relation to that finding, they said nine months (suspension).
“In relation to Swiatek, the contaminated product was a medication. So it was not unreasonable for a player to assume that a regulated medication would contain what it says on the ingredients.
“Therefore, the level of fault she could accept was at the lowest level as there was very little more she could have done reasonably to mitigate the risk of that product being contaminated.
“Halep’s contamination was not a medication. It was a collagen supplement and her level of fault was found to be higher.
“The complication with the Sinner case is the positive test was not a result of a contaminated product. That is the difference between Swiatek and Halep. There is no contamination here.
“The product that the masseuse used on his finger was not contaminated. It contained exactly what it said the product ingredients and because it is not a contaminated product, the range for a sanction is a one-year to two-year suspension.
“The first tribunal found that Sinner had ‘no fault or negligence’, that he had used the utmost caution. Therefore, he faced no sanction.
“My understanding from WADA’s statements is they are challenging that because they believe there was an element of fault and that the outcome should have been ‘no significant fault or negligence’.”
Sinner would almost certainly appeal if the CAS decision does not go in his favour, but he is likely to be banned from tennis while that appeal is ongoing.
Sky Sports is the home to more live tennis than anywhere else. Watch year-round action including the ATP and WTA Tours and US Open exclusively on Sky Sports and NOW.
READ NEXT: Novak Djokovic makes bold Jannik Sinner claim as he talks up his Grand Slam hopes
