Doping: WADA defends Jannik Sinner’s three-month ban

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has defended the three-month suspension given to world number one Jannik Sinner after he failed two drug tests.

Sinner’s prolonged doping case concluded on Saturday after the Italian accepted the ban, acknowledging “partial responsibility” for errors by his team that led to traces of clostebol being found in his system in March last year.

Initially cleared by the International Tennis Integrity Agency, Sinner faced a potential two-year suspension after WADA appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

However, WADA withdrew its appeal after determining that the 23-year-old was inadvertently contaminated by his physiotherapist, who had used a spray containing the banned substance while treating a cut.y

The sanction has sparked debate, with players such as Novak Djokovic questioning its severity. But WADA’s general counsel, Ross Wenzel, insisted the punishment was appropriate.

“This was a case that was a million miles away from doping,” Wenzel told BBC Sport on Tuesday.

“The scientific feedback we received confirmed that this could not be a case of intentional doping, including micro-dosing.”

Wenzel added that the criticism from both sides—those who believe the ban was excessive and those who think it was too lenient—suggests the decision struck the right balance.

“When we assess these cases, we do so based on technical and operational considerations, without fear of public or political backlash,” he said.

Despite the controversy, Sinner will be eligible to return to competition in time for the latter half of the season, though the debate over his sanction is unlikely to fade anytime soon.