Juan Martin del Potro explains why he finds Jannik Sinner’s doping ban ‘strange’
Argentine tennis great Juan Martin del Potro has admitted he finds “the whole situation” that led to Jannik Sinner’s three-month doping ban “strange.”
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) revealed on February 15 that Sinner had been suspended from tennis for three months for failing two doping tests in March 2024.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced in August that Sinner would not face a ban as he carried “no fault or negligence” after testing positive for the anabolic steroid clostebol during and after the 2024 Indian Wells Masters.
An independent tribunal accepted Sinner’s explanation that the substance had entered his body when receiving a massage from his former physio, who had used a spray containing the steroid to treat a cut on his finger.
However, WADA appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over the ruling in September as they sought to impose a ban of between one and two years on the world No 1.
The appeal was set to be heard at CAS in April, but WADA confirmed it had reached an agreement with Sinner’s legal team for the Italian to serve a suspension from February 9 to May 4.
The three-time Grand Slam champion was forced to withdraw from the Qatar Open ATP 500 event last week, and he will also miss Masters 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo and Madrid.
Jannik Sinner News
‘Quite tricky’ to convince Jannik Sinner to accept WADA’s offer
Jimmy Connors makes his feelings clear on Jannik Sinner’s doping ban
The 23-year-old will not miss any majors, and he will be able to compete at the Italian Open, which begins three days after his ban expires. Sinner has not competed since defending his Australian Open title in January.
At a press conference in Rio de Janeiro, del Potro shared his honest thoughts on the Sinner saga and claimed everyone involved has lost credibility.
“I don’t know so many details, I’m not on the circuit. But I can tell you that the whole situation seems strange to me,” the 2009 US Open champion said.
“He tested positive twice in Indian Wells; before the US Open, the case was made public and he received no sanction. I find that strange, that for many months there were people who knew and they didn’t communicate it.
“I don’t understand why they announced it before the US Open if the case was closed. I’m not saying whether he was innocent or not, whether it was the physio, the cream.
“But I think that everyone here lost a bit of credibility. The ATP, the anti-doping systems, Sinner’s image, the fans. I don’t think anyone came away with anything positive.”
READ NEXT: Juan Martin del Potro feels knee pain ‘every day’, applauds ‘sensational’ Joao Fonseca
