World No. 1 Jannik Sinner has denied speculations about his favouritism with anti-doping authorities before his return to competitive tennis following a three-month ban.
WADA filed an appeal which overturned Sinner’s first innocent explanation because he faced the banned substance from a product used by his physiotherapist during massage treatment.
In March 2024 the positive test for clostebol led Sinner to claim his samples had been accidently contaminated through a member of his entourage delivering a massage.
“I’ve been criticised a bit for being treated differently, but that’s not true. No one gets special treatment,” Sinner said.
“There have been so many hearings (with anti-doping authorities), I have been tested perhaps more than the others,” Sinner added.
Early February saw Sinner and WADA find agreement for a three-month ban to run through May 4 yet multiple players including concurrent and former athletes along with Italian Olympic swimming gold medalist Federica Pellegrini strongly criticised this deal.
“In my opinion, when there is contamination, as happened to me, or if you absorb something while eating without realising it, as can happen, and the doctors say that it does not give you more strength or lucidity, it is another matter, there is a whole protocol,” Sinner said.
“I really had a hard time accepting the three-month suspension because in my mind, I didn’t do anything wrong,” he added.
The Italian plans to return to tennis action when the Italian Open in Rome starts its next Wednesday tournament.
The streak began after his Beijing final defeat to Carlos Alcaraz in October 2022 and he maintains approximately 2000 points advantage in the rankings standings.
“I didn’t feel like a player should feel on the pitch. We train to enjoy ourselves by playing great matches, and that enjoyment was disappearing day after day,” Sinner said.
