‘What I am experiencing is unfair,’ says Sinner

World No. 1 tennis player Jannik Sinner, who is serving a three-month suspension for doping, said in an interview broadcast on Saturday that the sanction was ‘unfair,’ although he acknowledged that ‘it could have been much worse.’ ‘We quickly accepted (the three-month suspension, editor’s note), even if I wasn’t really in agreement,’ Sinner explained in an interview with the Italian television channel Sky Sport.

The Italian, winner of three Grand Slam titles, was speaking for the first time since he concluded an agreement in early February with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) for a three-month suspension that will end on May 4.

‘We had to choose the lesser evil and I believe that’s what we did. What I am experiencing is a bit unfair, but if you look at things, it could have been much worse, it could have been even more unfair,’ he continued. ‘Once this decision was made, it took me a bit of time to find myself again. Other things happened, beyond this affair, that were not easy for me, I will need a bit more time to digest all this, but I am here. I can’t wait to make my return in Rome (for the Masters 1000 scheduled from May 7 to 18, editor’s note),’ added the 23-year-old player.

Tested positive for clostebol in March 2024, Sinner initially explained the presence of this anabolic agent in his samples as an accidental contamination, via a massage given by a member of his entourage.

‘I was very fragile’

He was initially cleared by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), a decision that WADA contested before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to request a suspension of one to two years, before reaching an agreement with Sinner. This agreement has sparked a lot of criticism and misunderstandings, notably among players, with Australian Nick Kyrgios being the most vocal critic.

Does Sinner fear crossing paths with some of these players, asks the Sky journalist? ‘I don’t know what to answer because I don’t know what could happen,’ he replied. ‘I am certain of the way things happened, I am innocent.’ ‘What I want,’ insisted the first Italian to top the ATP rankings, ‘is to play tennis and be very serene, that’s where the story ends. I am sure everything will be fine, even if perhaps at the beginning it will take me a bit of time to get going again.’

‘I was very fragile after what happened, things happened that I did not expect, there were also unexpected reactions in me (...) but I also learned a lot on a human level,’ he confessed.

On the tennis courts, his main rivals Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev have not taken advantage of his absence to challenge his world No. 1 status. ‘No match is won in advance, even when you play against the world No. 100, these are complicated matches (...) But everything goes very quickly in tennis, on clay, Carlos Alcaraz is the favorite,’ concluded Sinner.