Jannik Sinner has spoken exclusively to Sky Sports. It is the first interview he has given since the agreement he reached with the World Anti-Doping Agency. The Italian tennis player accepted a three-month ban, after his double positive for a prohibited substance (clostebol) in March 2024.
“The decision to reach an agreement was very quick, although I did not agree,” said Sinner, who will return to the court for the Rome Masters. “In the end I chose the lesser evil, although it was unfair, but there could have been a greater injustice.”
The Australian Open winner admitted that he had a hard time throughout this process and in the days following the agreement with WADA: “I was very fragile after what happened, because a lot of things happened, even reactions from me that I did not expect. But in life you learn, year after year I get to know myself better, it was very difficult at times, but the people close to me gave me the strength to carry on.”
I’m looking forward to going back to Rome, but it won’t be easy because there will be a lot of attention on me
“After the decision it took me a while to find myself again. I still have to ‘digest’ everything a little bit, but I’m looking forward to going back to Rome. Even so, it won’t be easy because there will be a lot of attention on me,” Sinner said.
Sinner also talks about what he has learned in recent months: “Before I already knew that tennis is not the most important thing. Outside there are people who care a lot, family will always come first or friends. It’s good to have people around you that you can trust.”
Everything that happened after Sinner’s positive test
Jannik Sinner tested positive twice for a banned anabolic steroid in March 2024 during the Indian Wells Masters
The sanction she received was only the loss of the prize money and points because an independent ITIA tribunal, the Tennis Integrity Unit, determined that the intake was accidental. The positive test and this decision were not known until August 2024.
In September, WADA filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after CAS’s decision that the Italian tennis player had not committed any fault or negligence after a double positive for Clostebol. Finally, before there was a new ruling, Sinner reached an agreement with WADA that resulted in the three-month suspension from February 9 to May 4.
This suspension left Sinner out of action in Doha, Miami and Indian Wells, as well as the start of the clay-court tour (Monte Carlo and Madrid), but he will be in Rome and at Roland Garros.In this way, he loses zero points, does not miss any Grand Slam, will remain as world number one when he returns at the Foro Italico and is not stripped of any of the titles he won after his positive test was revealed.
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