Wada says Sinner case 'million miles away from doping'

Turning Pro

Hall of Fame
Jannik Sinner's case was "a million miles away from doping", a senior figure at the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) has said.

The men's tennis world number one was handed an immediate three-month ban by Wada on Saturday after reaching a settlement over his two positive drug tests last year.

Sinner, 23, was cleared of any wrongdoing by an independent panel after testing positive for banned substance clostebol in March 2024.

Wada had been seeking a ban of up to two years after launching an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) following the initial decision by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) not to suspend Sinner.

However, a deal was reached when Wada accepted Sinner was inadvertently contaminated and "did not intend to cheat".

Sinner has stated that he was inadvertently contaminated by his physiotherapist, who was treating a cut on his hand with an over-the-counter spray, which was later found to contain the banned substance.

The case has divided the tennis world, with some questioning the timing and length of the ban, how the Italian was able to agree a deal and inconsistencies between recent doping cases.

It led to Switzerland's three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka posting on X: "I don't believe in a clean sport any more."

Novak Djokovic, the 24-time Slam winner, questioned the fairness of the process and said there is "favouritism" towards high-profile players.

This was a case that was a million miles away from doping," Wada general counsel Ross Wenzel told BBC Sport.

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

Wenzel rejected any suggestion of special treatment and said the terms of the ban - that some have claimed will have little effect on Sinner - were appropriate for the case and not taken with the tennis calendar in mind.

Sinner's suspension began on 9 February and runs until 4 May, making him eligible to play at the French Open - the next Grand Slam - which begins on 25 May.

He has not featured competitively since beating Alexander Zverev in the final of the Australian Open on 26 January and could still be ranked number one when he returns to action.

Wenzel said: "Wada has received messages from those that consider that the sanction was too high and, in some respects, if you have some saying this is unfair on the athlete, and others saying it's not enough, maybe it's an indication that although it's not going to be popular with everyone, maybe it's an indication that it was in the right place.

"When we look at these cases we try to look at them technically, operationally and we don't do it with fear of what the public and the politicians or anyone is going to say."

Wenzel insisted that sanctions are "blind to the calendar" and that the ban was executed as swiftly as possible after a resolution had been agreed upon by all parties.

"Once you've reached an agreement, what you can't do is then say 'oh, but we're going to have this apply from two months in the future for a period of three months'," Wenzel said.

"It must come into effect quickly. Of course, once the deal is done, it's important that it is executed and that it is made public for reasons of transparency.

"So it happened, because of the timing of the CAS proceedings, it happened to be decided last Friday, it was a very late night, and it came into effect immediately, so that is the reason for the timing.

"The sanctions that we impose and the code even says this, they're blind to the calendar. The correct sanction should be imposed and it comes into effect when it comes into effect and it shouldn't be modulated or modified to take into account whether the events that are coming up are significant or not significant."

Wada only introduced the possibility of a case resolution agreement in 2021, allowing it to strike a deal with athletes.

Since adding that provision to Wada's rules, Wenzel believes about 67 resolution agreements have come into effect.

"I checked this this morning and and it might be one or two out, but I counted 67 since the provision came into force in January 2021," Wenzel said.

"That's just over four years and there's been 67 of them and they've been applied at different stages, almost all stages of the results management process.

"Some of them have been applied at the beginning, at first instance with Wada's agreement; others have been applied right at the end of the Cas process, as was the case here."
 
WADA finally admitting it had no case. But they scared the poor kid into taking three months. They should be ashamed of themselves. I’m inclined to report this guy to the local bar association for unethical behavior. Or perhaps to child protective services.

“after a resolution had been agreed upon by all parties.”

Yeh, after resolution. Carrot lawyers weren’t agreeing to a resolution until the length was determined and the timing made sense.
 
The reason so many question it isn't even about whether he's guilty or not, it's the way they went about it.

He was allowed to play on through the process.

He gets given a 3 month ban that just happens to start AFTER he wins a slam at the AO and finishes RIGHT BEFORE the very next slam.

They didn't tell the public he tested positive til after he played two slams despite knowing he did so. That didn't happen for every other player who tests positive for doping.

It's all so very cute and convenient.

And then if people want to argue that he didn't dope and was completely innocent, why punish him? And why do it in such a way that so clearly benefits him?

There's been so many players who weren't given this treatment but Sinner was. That's why 20+ ATP & WTA players have called this out. Because it's a joke. Sinner has been treated like a protected species.
 
Last edited:
The reason so many question it isn't even about whether he's guilty or not, it's the way they went about it.

He was allowed to play on through the process.

He gets given a 3 month ban that just happens to star AFTER he wins a slam at the AO and just finished RIGHT BEFORE the very next slam.

They didn't tell the public he tested positive til after he played two slams despite knowing he did so. That didn't happen for every other player who tests positive for doping.

It's all so very cute and convenient.

And then if people want to argue that he didn't dope and was completely innocent, why punish him? And why do it in such a way that so clearly benefits him?

There's been so many players who weren't given this treatment but Sinner was. That's why 20+ ATP & WTA players have called this out. Because it's a joke. Sinner has been treated like a protected species.

How is it even possible Aussie Darcy can’t follow the basic WADA Code rules at this point. :unsure:
 
Last edited by a moderator:
to add, from WADA, it is not scientific possible for him in his case, with the amount that he has, to dope or micro dope.

Any suggestion that he does is anti-science. Hold no scientific basis.

You can argue that his ban is too short but then this is WADA’s offer. They know they will lose their case.
 
Let's assume we take this statement at face value - what's the point of the ban in the first instance? Even if you argue negligence on the part of his team, he should still have been able to play on if that were the case?

It is on a strict livability term. The WADA spoke person 2 days before the final verdict said all athletes should be responsible for what goes into their body. That is their law so in away he is responsible for his positive test no matter what.

That is the objective fact but if you were to ask me subjectively, I think it is a power demonstration from WADA really. Will be bad for them if April outcome is no ban at all. Sinner is a sacrifice lamb. Even in this sub, most people argue for longer ban instead of structural overhaul. It is sad really
 
Must have been quite a settlement, eh?
take away your feelings and look at the fact for like one second (or perhaps longer), there is really no basis to ban him more than 3 months.

No scientific basis. Sentence operated on the basic legal framework. People feel like it is so easy to discredit scientists, sport lawyers, athletes and authorities. Like we are better educated and know how to do their jobs better than them.

I am not saying there are situations when other athletes are being treated unfairly but it is better to talk about those athletes’ cases and advocate for structural change. Way more constructive that way
 
take away your feelings and look at the fact for like one second (or perhaps longer), there is really no basis to ban him more than 3 months.

No scientific basis. Sentence operated on the basic legal framework. People feel like it is so easy to discredit scientists, sport lawyers, athletes and authorities. Like we are better educated and know how to do their jobs better than them.

I am not saying there are situations when other athletes are being treated unfairly but it is better to talk about those athletes’ cases and advocate for structural change. Way more constructive that way
I have always said I will trust what authorities will say but now that wada screwed up colossally, I don't have any trust on authorities..

Change the processes.
 
Indeed, IF what he says is true then why suspend Sinner at all?
Because a violation of the TADP does not consist only of deliberate "doping." Testing positive for a banned substance, even through trivial accidental exposure, constitutes a violation. We have been over this and over this a thousand times since last fall! Arguably, the strict liability standard is too inflexible, the punishments for accidental exposure are too harsh, and WADA was overly aggressive and self-serving by pursuing the Sinner appeal in the first place. Again, all of this has been thrashed out repeatedly as well. But the fact is that once the appeal was on the table, it had to be resolved in some way, and both sides made the call that a guaranteed short suspension was a better deal than taking a chance with the CAS.
 
"that some have claimed will have little effect on Sinner" >>

Some ppl don't understand the terms masking agents and residual when it comes to positive drug tests. Masking agents mean drug cheats often record a low positive when actually the system has high levels. Residual results are when indicators show that previous higher amounts were previously present but are now recording small levels. So quoting the low level means nothing its the positive results is what matters. Remember he got caught twice. Is it really unintentional? No body know. Only WADA or ITIA said so.
 
"that some have claimed will have little effect on Sinner" >>

Some ppl don't understand the terms masking agents and residual when it comes to positive drug tests. Masking agents mean drug cheats often record a low positive when actually the system has high levels. Residual results are when indicators show that previous higher amounts were previously present but are now recording small levels. So quoting the low level means nothing its the positive results is what matters. Remember he got caught twice. Is it really unintentional? No body know. Only WADA or ITIA said so.
All of this would be cleared if wada had guts to go through the trial.
Now these are just words.

Nothing was solved and no one is happy. Wada has lost itself
 
He gets given a 3 month ban that just happens to start AFTER he wins a slam at the AO and finishes RIGHT BEFORE the very next slam.
The suspension doesn't "just happen" to start and end at the selected dates. You're implying that there is some sort of pretense here that the ban was a randomly configured event, and the parties were then surprised by the outcome: "Well, look at that! Ol' Jannik won't have to miss the French Open after all. Nice bit of fortune for him!" That's ridiculous. The suspension was accepted by Sinner's team precisely because it fits within a time frame that Sinner can tolerate, even if he doesn't like it. And WADA made its settlement proposal at this time knowing that missing a bunch of Masters would be painful, but less so than missing two slams, so there'd be a lot of pressure on Sinner to accept the deal. Why would Sinner accept a settlement with WADA that would guarantee he would miss Roland Garros and Wimbledon? Answer: He would not, and WADA understood that. The suspension had to be configured properly to be accepted at all. A settlement can't be the equivalent of the worst-case scenario for one side.

You're essentially condemning a compromise for being a compromise, i.e., an arrangement that is not optimal for both sides but is acceptable to them by design.
 
The suspension doesn't "just happen" to start and end at the selected dates. You're implying that there is some sort of pretense here that the ban was a randomly configured event, and the parties were then surprised by the outcome: "Well, look at that! Ol' Jannik won't have to miss the French Open after all. Nice bit of fortune for him!" That's ridiculous. The suspension was accepted by Sinner's team precisely because it fits within a time frame that Sinner can tolerate, even if he doesn't like it. And WADA made its settlement proposal at this time knowing that missing a bunch of Masters would be painful, but less so than missing two slams, so there'd be a lot of pressure on Sinner to accept the deal. Why would Sinner accept a settlement with WADA that would guarantee he would miss Roland Garros and Wimbledon? Answer: He would not, and WADA understood that. The suspension had to be configured properly to be accepted at all. A settlement can't be the equivalent of the worst-case scenario for one side.

You're essentially condemning a compromise for being a compromise, i.e., an arrangement that is not optimal for both sides but is acceptable to them by design.
Lmao

This is something top class bull **** I have ever read
 
Wada only introduced the possibility of a case resolution agreement in 2021, allowing it to strike a deal with athletes.

Since adding that provision to Wada's rules, Wenzel believes about 67 resolution agreements have come into effect.

"I checked this this morning and and it might be one or two out, but I counted 67 since the provision came into force in January 2021," Wenzel said.

"That's just over four years and there's been 67 of them and they've been applied at different stages, almost all stages of the results management process.

"Some of them have been applied at the beginning, at first instance with Wada's agreement; others have been applied right at the end of the Cas process, as was the case here."
There is clearly an epidemic of "special treatment" occurring! This needs to be investigated.
 
Lmao

This is something top class bull **** I have ever read
Everything I wrote was completely correct. You are simply constitutionally incapable of tolerating a process that is not configured the way you believe it should be. High-profile settlements in many areas -- criminal cases, civil suits, regulatory matters, and now WADA enforcement actions as well -- are regularly blasted by hard-headed types who whine that the case should have been pushed all the way to the end, it was a sell-out to make a deal, that the whole process is "corrupt" because the parties settled, the whole world is immoral and blind except for the hard-headed critic, etc. etc. It's just hot air.
 
Everything I wrote was completely correct. You are simply constitutionally incapable of tolerating a process that is not configured the way you believe it should be. High-profile settlements in many areas -- criminal cases, civil suits, regulatory matters, and now WADA enforcement actions as well -- are regularly blasted by hard-headed types who whine that the case should have been pushed all the way to the end, it was a sell-out to make a deal, that the whole process is "corrupt" because the parties settled, the whole world is immoral and blind except for the hard-headed critic, etc. etc. It's just hot air.
Lmao

Sinner had absolutely no power over wada. Why would he not accept a deal in April? You saying he had power over wada in this case and he would only accept when it fits him says his case is very strong.

If case was strong he would never accept a deal. But it was weak. And he would accept this 3 month deal any other time.

Wada gave him sweetest deal being number 1.

I am constitutionally incapable or are you blind and don't understand how corruption works.
 
Well he tested positive for a banned substance and was banned as a result.

He’s a doper who was banned for doping.

If I am wrong, explain why exactly he was suspended.
 
Well he tested positive for a banned substance and was banned as a result.

He’s a doper who was banned for doping.

If I am wrong, explain why exactly he was suspended.
You are wrong in your summary here because testing positive for a banned substance does not automatically make an athlete a "doper." Indeed, "doper" is not a term that even exists in the TADP. It's merely an accusatory label beloved in this forum because it can be tossed around in angry posts without substantiation.
 
You are wrong in your summary here because testing positive for a banned substance does not automatically make an athlete a "doper." Indeed, "doper" is not a term that even exists in the TADP. It's merely an accusatory label beloved in this forum because it can be tossed around in angry posts without substantiation.
OK please explain why he is banned for 3 months then, if not for testing positive for a banned substance.

let’s get to the bottom of this.
 
The reason so many question it isn't even about whether he's guilty or not, it's the way they went about it.

He was allowed to play on through the process.

Exactly. And then how the timing of the suspension works to his scheduling.

I don't believe Sinner had even a bit of fault personally. However, there have been plenty of cases like this that immediately suspended players while investigations and such were conducted. Some for over a year before their case was even reviewed, all within a month of testing positive. Sinner was given the privilege because of ranking and the money to hire lawyers. Simple as that. And then being able to negotiate when a suspension is in place? It smacks of tennis aristocracy, absolutely.

I said years ago this all essentially needed vetting because a player is guilty until proven innocent, and it kills younger and lower ranked players who don't have the resources to be fairly treated. Something needed to change in the process. Maybe Sinner's case is the catalyst, but this is a HUGE slight against players and a black mark on WADA, ITF, and those folks for the way this all was handled.

Unfortunately, Sinner isn't to blame, but people want do so they feel better about it.
 
OK please explain why he is banned for 3 months then, if not for testing positive for a banned substance.

let’s get to the bottom of this.
Did you even read what I wrote? Take your post #25 above. Leave its first sentence in place. Strike out/delete/erase the second sentence. Then stop.
 
Did you even read what I wrote? Take your post #25 above. Leave its first sentence in place. Strike out/delete/erase the second sentence. Then stop.

doper​

noun

dop·er ˈdō-pər

informal : an athlete who uses performance-enhancing substances typically banned for use in sports
“Already athletes from Great Britain and Australia who finished behind drug-using East Germans have begun asking Olympic officials to disqualify the dopers and rewrite the record books”
 
OK please explain why he is banned for 3 months then, if not for testing positive for a banned substance.

let’s get to the bottom of this.
fU1.gif
 

doper​

noun

dop·er ˈdō-pər
You have a habit of evading arguments rather than meeting them head-on. It's annoying and disingenuous. Whether "doper" is a word that exists in the English language is irrelevant here. That issue is a straw man. I'll repeat exactly what I wrote above when I first replied to you: "Indeed, 'doper' is not a term that even exists in the TADP. It's merely an accusatory label beloved in this forum because it can be tossed around in angry posts without substantiation."

The fact is that Sinner was suspended due to a positive test. He was not suspended for supposedly being a "doper" because that concept is not part of the enforcement framework at all. Feel free indulge in all the petty name-calling you wish, but don't mistake your denunciations for the actual outcome of the WADA process.
 
You have a habit of evading arguments rather than meeting them head-on. It's annoying and disingenuous. Whether "doper" is a word that exists in the English language is irrelevant here. That issue is a straw man. I'll repeat exactly what I wrote above when I first replied to you: "Indeed, 'doper' is not a term that even exists in the TADP. It's merely an accusatory label beloved in this forum because it can be tossed around in angry posts without substantiation."

The fact is that Sinner was suspended due to a positive test. He was not suspended for supposedly being a "doper" because that concept is not part of the enforcement framework at all. Feel free indulge in all the petty name-calling you wish, but don't mistake your denunciations for the actual outcome of the WADA process.
Why exactly is Sinner is suspended then, and why exactly is, say, Tsitsipas not also suspended?

What differentiates the two?
 
You have a habit of evading arguments rather than meeting them head-on. It's annoying and disingenuous. Whether "doper" is a word that exists in the English language is irrelevant here. That issue is a straw man. I'll repeat exactly what I wrote above when I first replied to you: "Indeed, 'doper' is not a term that even exists in the TADP. It's merely an accusatory label beloved in this forum because it can be tossed around in angry posts without substantiation."

The fact is that Sinner was suspended due to a positive test. He was not suspended for supposedly being a "doper" because that concept is not part of the enforcement framework at all. Feel free indulge in all the petty name-calling you wish, but don't mistake your denunciations for the actual outcome of the WADA process.

Some posters have lost in this instance their moral compass and reasoning somewhere, some time ago and struggle to get them back. Easier to continue to add another lie than to face that they have been pitifully wrong.

They are unable to man up to their own errors, while Sinner does it even for the small negligence of two team members by accepting the offer from WADA, which deems him 'a million miles away from doping'.
 
Presumably because he failed 2 drug tests even if he didn't do it deliberately. Players still have to take responsibility for relatives, friends or staff who may have introduced banned substances into their system knowingly or unknowingly.
Yes, therefore WADA should suspend Sinner for one year immediately right after 2nd test as usual, regardless of low amount found from these tests, and whether or not he and his professional team is unintentional, these are not the reasons to grand a 3 months suspension right after Australian Open and released before French Open.

Huge mistake by CAS/WADA.
 
Some posters have lost in this instance their moral compass and reasoning somewhere, some time ago and struggle to get them back. Easier to continue to add another lie than to face that they have been pitifully wrong.

Unable to man up to their own errors, while Sinner does it even for the small negligence of two team members by accepting the offer from WADA, which deems him 'a million miles away from doping'.
Sinner did not man up for his errors. He was appealing his case as early as March. Then when WADA said he won't be let off without punishment, then he agreed to the deal.
This is not manning up.

That would be what Maria Sharapova did, going in press conference and owning up to the mistake. I don't even like Sharapova but she handled the issue with far more grace.

If ITIA did not disclose, Sinner would likely not even even talk about the test.
 
Well he tested positive for a banned substance and was banned as a result.

He’s a doper who was banned for doping.

If I am wrong, explain why exactly he was suspended.
This isnt very difficult.

Doping is defined as the "unlawful use of drugs to enhance or inhibit performance."

Sinner is cleared of allegations of "unlawful use of drugs to enhance or inhibit performance."

In other words, you can have a positive test without a performance enhancing effect.

In other words, Sinner isnt a "doper".
 
The entire crux of all of this is the guy tested positive twice for dope and was suspended. Yet he isnt a doper. SO OF FREAKING COURSE it's gonna cause all of these arguments lol.

I mean it boils down to he tested positive twice, they screwed around with the case for a year, then decided he should be suspended. So hes suspended for doping. Yet he isnt a doper. And everyone keeps wondering why so many people are like huh? It's like throwing a guy in jail for burglary but saying well he isn't a thief. And I know all the details they have been explained.

But what cracks me up is posters lecturing other posters on how they shouldn't be confused by all of this lol.
 
Last edited:
A million miles from Earth is 4 times the distance to the moon. So what Wada is saying is that if Sinner's clostebol amount was the Earth, it would have to make 2 round-trip travels to the moon and back for it to make any difference. Yet they still suspended him for 3 months?
 
A million miles from Earth is 4 times the distance to the moon. So what Wada is saying is that if Sinner's clostebol amount was the Earth, it would have to make 2 round-trip travels to the moon and back for it to make any difference. Yet they still suspended him for 3 months?
Contamination in space is real. Look into it.
 
I reiterate that in the wake of international press calling BS and asking Sinner's title to be stripped off, WADA had to do some damage control and that is all that this is.

This makes things look even more sus if anything.
 
Again, my offer to all Sinner defenders stands.

Why is he suspended if not for using a banned substance (clostebol)? Explain this and I will repent.

Why is he banned? Very simple question. Why?
He is banned because he is (to some degree) responsible for his teams actions.

Anything else?
 
What actions? Why isn’t every other player banned then?
The actions of a man who runs a pharmacy or two carrying a substance from Italy to the US (with doping printed on it), giving it to another man who wanked Sinner off said substance unbeknownst to Sinner though both men are professionals who should know better.

These men now work for Sinner's bestie Matteo.
 
Back
Top