They’ll cop a three-month tennis ban following a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
and is now on hold from 9 February to 4 May.
– a steroid that can be used to build muscle mass – with WADA accepting his explanation that he was accidentally contaminated by a massage from his physiotherapist, who had used a spray containing the banned substance to treat a cut on his finger.
On May 19, he claims he didn’t mean to cheat, but says the 23-year-old is to blame for his team’s mistakes.
said: ‘WADA acknowledges the athlete’s explanation for the cause of the breach as outlined in the initial ruling.
‘WADA acknowledges that Mr. Sinner didn’t intend to cheat, and that his exposure to clostebol didn’t give him any performance advantage and happened without his knowledge due to the mistake of people around him.
‘However, under the Code and as per CAS precedent, an athlete is accountable for the negligence of their entourage. Given the specific circumstances of this case, a three-month suspension is considered a suitable outcome.’
Sinner, who copped two failed drug tests in March 2024, was cleared in August when an independent tribunal found he wasn’t at fault, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said at the time.
The Italian tennis star then sacked his physio Giacomo Naldi and trainer Umberto Ferrara – with Sinner claiming the latter had given Naldi the banned substance in a spray.
It was initially considered that Sinner had avoided punishment before WADA lodged an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in September.
In a statement released by his lawyers, Sinner said: “This case has been hanging over me for nearly a year and the process still has a long way to go with a decision possibly not until the end of the year.”
‘I’ve always acknowledged that I’m accountable for my team and understand Wada’s strict rules are crucial for the sport I’m passionate about. Given that, I’ve agreed to Wada’s proposal to settle this matter by way of a three-month suspension.’
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Fair dinkum, the bloke always denied those claims and said before: ‘I was treated like everyone else. The reason I kept playing was because we knew exactly how it got into my system and where it was from. It was in the spray.’
‘Fair dinkum, I haven’t had a different treatment at all. The process was a real marathon.’
‘Then after it got even heavier because when you think the outcome is near – you still don’t know what’s around the corner. It was a pretty tough time for me.’
