Tennis world reacts to Sinner's three-month doping ban

The tennis world has reacted to a Saturday World Anti-Doping decision to hand Jannik Sinner a three-month ban from the sport.

World number one Sinner accepted the ban after admitting team mistakes led to him twice testing positive for traces of banned substance clostebol in March last year.

Sinner did not get away with the doping scandal

The February 9 to May 4 suspension means Sinner will be free to play in the French Open, the second grand slam of the season, which begins on May 25 at Roland Garros.

In a statement, Sinner said that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accepted that he "had no intent and did not derive any competitive advantage from the two positive tests".

Australian Open champion Sinner has always said that clostebol entered his system when his physiotherapist used a spray containing it to treat a cut, then provided massage and sports therapy.

WADA had initially appealed an In International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) ruling that Sinner bore “no fault or negligence” for the positive tests, and a Court of Arbitration (CAS) was scheduled for April this year.

However, an agreement between Sinner and WADA was reached, meaning that Sinner got the three-month ban, and will be able to play in front of his home fans at the Rome Open which kicks off just after the end of his suspension.

The decision has drawn the ire of Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios, who said: “So WADA come out and say it would be a 1-2 year ban.

Obviously sinners team have done everything in their power to just go ahead and take a 3 month ban, no titles lost, no prize money lost. Guilty or not? Sad day for tennis. Fairness in tennis does not exist.”

The former World number 13 has been a vocal critic of the decision-making process of the case, which has only seen Sinner lose ranking points and prize money he won for taking victory at the Indian Wells.

One fan - @cfcj_j on X - hinted at the contrast of punishments handed to other tennis players who doped stating: “’m sure Dan Evans would have liked a 3 month settlement ban. I’m sure Simona Halep would have liked a 3 month settlement ban. I’m sure Nicholas Jarry would have liked a 3 month settlement ban. I’m sure Beatrice Hadad Maia would have liked a 3 month settlement ban.”

Sinner’s case follows another high profile case involving women’s world No 2 Iga Swiatek, who received a one-month suspension after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine.