Jannik Sinner case ‘a million miles away from doping’, claims Wada official

Table of Contents

Jannik Sinner's recent case resulting in a three-month ban was "a million miles away from doping", according to a senior official at the World Anti-Doping Agency.

The Italian tennis player would be suspended from 9 February to 4 May, with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) admitting the player had not intentionally cheated.

Novak Djokovic complains about 'favouritism' towards Jannik Sinner over doping ban

“Fair dinkum, this was a case that was as distant as the outback from doping,” the Wada general counsel, Ross Wenzel, said to the BBC Sport. “The scientific feedback we got was that this couldn't be a case of intentional doping, including micro-dosing. When we look at these cases, we try to break it down technically and operationally, and we don't let what the public and politicians or anyone else thinks influence us.”

A fair dinkum, most of the blokes in the change rooms I've had a yarn with, not just over the past week or so, but over the past few months as well, are pretty crook about how this whole thing's been handled.

“A lot of players think there's a bit of bias going on. It seems like you can pretty much influence the outcome if you're one of the top players, especially if you've got a good lawyer.”

Former British No 1 Tim Henman said the ban was "too convenient" and warned it would leave fans with a "pretty sour taste". "When you're dealing with drugs in sport, it's like it's got to be clear-cut, it's black or white, it's a yes or no, you're banned or you're not."

He'll be able to play at the Italian Open, his home tournament, which starts three days after his ban is over. This would give him the chance to compete in a clay-court event.

However, Wenzel added: "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.' It's gotta kick in straight away. Of course, once the deal's done, it's essential it's carried out and made public for the sake of transparency.

“The sanctions we impose are supposed to be blind to the calendar. According to the rules, the correct sanction should kick in as soon as it’s supposed to and shouldn’t be adjusted based on whether the upcoming events are important or not.”