WADA defends Sinner's three-month ban as 'appropriate' amid tennis outrage

Following their decision to appeal the International Tennis Integrity Agency's decision not to suspend Sinner after he twice tested positive for the anabolic steroid clostebol in March last year, WADA repeatedly stated they would ask for a suspension of between 12 months and 24 months.

The World No 1 has won seven titles - including the US Open last September and the Australian Open in January - since the failed drug tests.

His case was due to be heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in mid-April, but both parties dropped a bombshell last week as it was revealed that they had reached an agreement with the Italian's ban a lot shorter than the minimum one year that was initially demanded.

A statement read: "The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) confirms that it has entered into a case resolution agreement in the case of Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner, with the player accepting a three-month period of ineligibility for an anti-doping rule violation that led to him testing positive for clostebol, a prohibited substance, in March 2024."

With the ban running from 9 February to 4 May, Sinner is set to miss six ATP Tour events and will likely return to action at the Italian Open.

The ruling has left many in the tennis community outraged with Nick Kyrgios stating: "Obviously Sinner's 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."

Three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka wrote on social media "I don't believe in clean sport anymore".

But WADA Vice-President Yang Yang fired back in an interview with Xinhua: "The whole anti-doping process is highly professional and technical, which is really difficult for many to understand."

WADA confirmed that it has the ability to adjust its sanction framework to make sure everyone gets a fair deal, stating: "One of its primary functions is to ensure that unique cases which do not fall squarely within the sanction framework can be adjudicated appropriately and fairly, provided that all parties and WADA agree."

It further stated that a 12-month ban would have been "unduly severe" once you take into account "the level of seriousness of the violation given its specific facts".

Yang stated the organisation was "pleased" with the way they have handled the case despite the criticism.

"Under the current Code revision, it is already proposed that the minimum sanction in case of contamination is a reprimand, so [the sanction is] three months. It is well within what is recommended for adoption at the world conference," Yang said.

"So WADA considered a three-month ban was appropriate in [the] Sinner case. We are pleased to have been able to deal with this matter in an open and transparent way."

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