Grand Slam Doubles Legend believes Sinner is in line to receive a ban for failing doping tests

[vokazu]

“Suspension may be coming”: Former doubles legendary player casts doubt about Jannik Sinner’s future ahead of Australian Open

Multiple doubles Grand Slam winner Mark Woodforde believes that Italy’s Jannik Sinner is in line to receive a ban for failing doping tests. The 23-year-old is already regarded as the world’s best play...

tennisuptodate.com

“Suspension may be coming”: Former doubles legendary player casts doubt about Jannik Sinner’s future ahead of Australian Open​

byAzeem Siddiqui
Monday, 06 January 2025 at 19:27

Multiple doubles Grand Slam winner Mark Woodforde believes that Italy’s Jannik Sinner is in line to receive a ban for failing doping tests. The 23-year-old is already regarded as the world’s best player in men’s tennis in the singles category.

He ended up winning two out of four Grand Slams and finished the season on a high after winning the ATP Finals in Turin. However, his year was marred by controversy after he failed two doping tests in March for banned substance Clostebol. Despite that, interestingly, Sinner managed to escape any ban as the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) accepted the player’s counsel’s response where they claimed that the availability of the banned substance in the player’s sample was because of receiving cream for the treatment of an injury from one member of the coaching staff.

The verdict, however, has been challenged by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and demanded a two-year ban for the reigning world number one in men’s tennis. Former doubles legendary player Woodforde, who won 12 doubles and five mixed doubles Grand Slams in his illustrious career, has been recently quoted in a report by Tennis 365, cast doubts about the future of Sinner and believes that it will be fascinating to see how the two-time Grand Slam winner will perform, knowing fully well that a ‘suspension may be coming’.

“He did remarkably well last season, but it is not going to get any easier for him now with the appeal process coming up,” said Woodforde to Tennis365.

“There is already a lot of talk about what happens next in this story, but there is a possibility that some kind of suspension may be coming. He has already gone through one step of the process and has been able to compartmentalise these issues that have been happening off the court and to just keep his head down.

"He struggled in the early rounds of the US Open, I felt, and it was fortunate that he was up against guys in the early rounds who didn’t have the belief they could beat him. Once he got settled into the tournament, he was looking good all the way and that’s how he would like to approach it again this year. Being the defending champion adds another pressure for the young man so it will be fascinating to see how he handles it.”

 

[roysid]

Lets see what is the result of appeal

 

[Bartelby]

There will be a suspension, but it will be a small one. In other words, it will be less than he deserves but enough to silence the scandal.

 

[JMR]

“He did remarkably well last season, but it is not going to get any easier for him now with the appeal process coming up,” said Woodforde to Tennis365.

“There is already a lot of talk about what happens next in this story, but there is a possibility that some kind of suspension may be coming."

I suppose this means that every retired old fart out there will be asked to weigh in on the Sinner situation, will offer an inane "Captain Obvious" response (the whole point of WADA's appeal is to seek a suspension, so noting that one may be coming is a pretty brain-dead comment), and then will be quoted in full here in yet another triumph of obsessive redundancy.

 

[tennis3]

My grandma's trick knee predicts no suspension

 

[socallefty]

There is already a lot of talk about what happens next in this story, but there is a possibility that some kind of suspension may be coming.

OP’s headline for this post is like a tabloid headline taking a harmless quote that there is a possibility that Sinner could be suspended to make it seem that Woodforde is predicting a suspension for sure.

 

[Aussie Darcy]

OP’s headline for this post is like a tabloid headline taking a harmless quote that there is a possibility that Sinner could be suspended to make it seem that Woodforde is predicting a suspension for sure.

That’s what the OP constantly does here. Time and time again.

 

[Bartelby]

At least the OP talks about contemporary scandals rather than rehashing the old ones.

And the Sinnebol scandal is the biggest in tennis since Ben Hur.

 

[anarosevoli]

Do they really need to ask Woodforde? What happened to true Australian legend Nick Kyrgios who won Acapulco, Tokio and Washington, all before turning 30?

 

[tennis3]

Do they really need to ask Woodforde? What happened to true Australian legend Nick Kyrgios who won Acapulco, Tokio and Washington, all before turning 30?

What’s his H2H record against Djokovic Bro?

 

[anarosevoli]

What’s his H2H record against Djokovic Bro?

0-24

 

[Better_Call_Raul]

There will be a suspension, but it will be a small one. In other words, it will be less than he deserves but enough to silence the scandal.

If he is able to play all four Majors, the suspension, if any, will be meaningless.
There might be a small outcry from some fans for the slap on the wrist.
The rabid Sinner bashers on this forum are NOT representative of the fans at large. Most fans will quickly move on.
Money talks and the young Sinner is too big to ban!

 

[AndrewUtz]

Jannik will get what he deserves (a ban just for the clay season, because it would cost the atp way too much money otherwise).

 

[Bride of Alcaraz]

If he is able to play all four Majors, the suspension, if any, will be meaningless.
There might be a small outcry from some fans for the slap on the wrist.
The rabid Sinner bashers on this forum are NOT representative of the fans at large. Most fans will quickly move on.
Money talks and the young Sinner is too big to ban!

Too big?
2 hardcourt slams, and boring tennis.
Alcaraz, Medvedev and Zverev all have more entertaining playing styles AND personalities...

Jannik will get what he deserves (a ban just for the clay season, because it would cost the atp way too much money otherwise).

It won't cost the ATP any money if Sinner retires or is banned.

 

[SonnyT]

Two majors

 

[weakera]

He will be suspended from the tour in-between the Australian Open and his paid appearance in Dubai

 

[AM75]

He will be suspended from the tour in-between the Australian Open and his paid appearance in Dubai

They probably will suspend him for a month and allow him to move the suspension to off season.

 

[thrust]

Too big?
2 hardcourt slams, and boring tennis.
Alcaraz, Medvedev and Zverev all have more entertaining playing styles AND personalities...


It won't cost the ATP any money if Sinner retires or is banned.

Alcaraz- yes, the other two who have one slam between them-NO

 

[vokazu]

Jannik Sinner ban from tennis could be for 'a long time' says former world No 7

Jannik Sinner could face a long ban from tennis and Barbara Schett gives Tennis365 her verdict.

www.tennis365.com

“The product that the masseuse used on his finger was not contaminated. That is exactly what it said the product contained on the packaging.

“And so because it is not a contaminated product, the range for a sanction is one year to two years.”

Now Eurosport reporter Schett has given her reaction to the news that Sinner could face a minimum of a one-year ban if the WADA appeal goes against him.


Length of Jannik Sinner’s suspension would send shockwaves through tennis says former world No 7
Tennis365 / by Kevin Palmer / Jan 9, 2025 at 2:35 AM
Former world No 7 Barbara Schett has admitted the minimum suspension Jannik Sinner could be facing from tennis after his failed drug tests would rock the sport, with a one-year ban the likely outcome if he loses his appeal.

Defending Australian Open champion Sinner arrived in Melbourne with a huge cloud hovering over him after he returned two positive drug tests last March.

Sinner was initially cleared of wrongdoing by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) after he tested positive for the anabolic steroid clostebol, but the WADA appeal has prolonged his agony and there is a widespread expectation that he could now serve a ban.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is seeking to impose a one to two-year suspension on the world No 1 after they opted to appeal against the ITIA decision not to ban Sinner last year.

In an exclusive interview with Tennis365, ITIA CEO Karen Moorhouse explained why the minimum punishment the Italian could receive would be a one-year suspension if the decision goes against him.

“If you test positive for a banned substance, your starting point for a possible sanction is four years,” Moorhouse explained in her extensive Tennis365 interview.

“If you can demonstrate that it was not intentional, that reduces to two years. Then, if you can prove there was no fault, there is no sanction.

“In addition, a decision of ‘no significant fault or negligence’ could fall between a reprimand and two years. That applies to any cases around a contaminated substance.

“It’s the same rules and the same processes for every player. All cases are different and each case turns on individual facts.

“The complication with the Sinner case is the positive test was not a result of a contaminated product. That is the difference between Swiatek and Halep. There is no contamination here.

“The product that the masseuse used on his finger was not contaminated. That is exactly what it said the product contained on the packaging.

“And so because it is not a contaminated product, the range for a sanction is one year to two years.”

Now Eurosport reporter Schett has given her reaction to the news that Sinner could face a minimum of a one-year ban if the WADA appeal goes against him.

More Tennis News
Jannik Sinner facing shockingly long ban from tennis if he loses doping appeal

Exclusive: ITIA chief insists Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek did not get different treatment after failed drug tests

Speaking exclusively to Tennis365, the Austrian suggested Sinner is looking a little withdrawn as he waits for news on the WADA appeal, which is expected to be heard in mid-2025.

“He must feel under so much pressure and it can’t be easy,” Schett told Tennis365.

“I saw him briefly yesterday after his exhibition match and you get the feeling that the lightness is not there at the moment, which is understandable.

“He was very controlled, even more introverted than before. He was more outgoing before, but now he is very cautious about what he says.

“Despite everything, it has been incredible how he has been playing over the last six months or for however long this has been going on.

“Also, this chapter is not closed. There could still be a substantial ban, we will see, but it must be very hard for him to deal with that. It would be interesting to see how much he can block out and how he is doing that.”

We then informed Schett of the minimum ban Sinner would face if the WADA appeal goes against him would be a one-year suspension from tennis, which inspired this reaction.

“A year would be a very long time, I have to say. Let’s see what happens,” she added.

“One thing that has to change is it is all so complicated. There is so much inconsistency. Nobody really knows what’s going on.

“Why is one case like this and another case like that? It’s very confusing, I have to say, for everyone. For players, ex-players, journalists and everyone involved in tennis, this whole area is not clear.”

Some of Schett’s questions were answered in Tennis365’s exclusive interview with ITIA chief Moorhouse, but clarity over Sinner’s next move will not come for some time yet.

That uncertainty has to be a mental drain for the world no. 1 as he prepares to defend his title in Melbourne.

 

[vokazu]

Richard Ings, former worker at Men's Tennis Integrity Unit and former boss of Australian Anti Doping Watchdog, believes that if WADA's appeal is successful, Sinner would get 1 to 2 years suspension:

"If WADA is successful, then a ban of 1 to 2 years could be imposed by the panel. These are the rules. This is the thing to remember that the rules of tennis, in the anti doping rules of tennis, as with other international Sports, simply follow the World Anti Doping Agency code."


8:48 documentary video about Tennis and Doping Problem:

Does tennis have a doping problem?

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