World No. 1 banned for doping, tennis world in turmoil

"RAISE HIGH, HIT SOFTLY" PENALTY IN TENNIS

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced the penalty yesterday, February 15, and world tennis number 1 Jannik Sinner accepted it and did not appeal.

According to AFP, Sinner tested positive twice for a banned substance called clostebol in 2024. This is a drug that can be used to increase muscle mass. The Italian tennis player said he was accidentally contaminated by a physiotherapist. The doctor used an over-the-counter spray to treat a wound on Sinner's hand, only to discover that the spray contained clostebol. In August 2024, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) confirmed: "Sinner was not at fault or acted carelessly." Subsequent test results also showed that the concentration of the banned substance was only at a low level.

Jannik Sinner has accepted the sentence and will not appeal.

At that time, WADA was not satisfied with the ITIA's decision, so it appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). WADA also said that Sinner did not intentionally cheat and that the banned substance concentration was not enough to improve even a little performance. However, WADA's code stipulates that athletes are also responsible for the carelessness of their assistants.

Initially, WADA proposed a suspension of 1 to 2 years, but in the end the case was resolved quickly, helping the world No. 1 tennis player not miss any Grand Slam tournaments, including the upcoming Roland Garros. Specifically, the 23-year-old tennis player was banned from competing from February 9 to April 5, 2025, so he will definitely miss 4 Masters tournaments, including Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo and Madrid Open. Sinner was allowed to return to official training from April 13. Therefore, he will still be in time to participate in the Rome Masters (from May 6 to 13) and Roland Garros (May 27 to June 3).

TENSION VILLAGE IS IN WAVES

Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios was one of the first to strongly criticize the above decision on social media. "A bad day for tennis. I know many people are as angry as I am. WADA announced a ban of up to 2 years, but then Sinner's team negotiated it down to 3 months, no loss of titles, no loss of prize money. So is he guilty or not? Justice in tennis does not exist," Kyrgios asserted.

Stan Wawrinka, a three-time Grand Slam champion, also expressed his disappointment: "I no longer believe in clean sport."

World No. 1 tennis player will not miss any Grand Slam tournament in 2025

Speaking to Sky Sports News , former British tennis player Tim Henman said: "First and foremost, I don't think Sinner was trying to cheat at any stage. However, when I read the WADA decision, I felt this ban seemed favorable to Sinner. He had just won the Australian Open, then had a three-month break but was still eligible to attend Roland Garros. It couldn't have come at a better time for Sinner. This left a pretty bad impression on people about tennis.

Any issue related to banned substances in sports must be black and white, positive or negative, banned or not banned. But when I read words like 'resolve' or 'reach an agreement', I feel like this ban is a negotiation."

However, Feliciano Lopez, currently Director of the Madrid Open and Davis Cup, spoke up to defend Sinner: "I still believe. The results prove that he did not use doping to improve his performance. Sinner accepts responsibility for the mistakes of others and the three-month suspension is reasonable. Would a longer ban make sport cleaner? I don't think so."

According to calculations, the above ban costs Sinner 1,600 accumulated points in the ATP rankings, not counting all the points from the 2024 Indian Wells tournament that were previously erased. However, the 23-year-old tennis player is still able to maintain the world No. 1 position, as he is currently 3,195 points ahead of Alexander Zverev - the man he just defeated in the 2025 Australian Open final.

Specifically, Sinner will be deducted 1,000 points for being the defending ATP 1,000 champion at the Miami Open, deducted 400 points at the Monte Carlo Masters for reaching the semi-finals of this tournament last year (losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas) and deducted 200 points at the Madrid Open (withdrawing before the quarter-final match with Felix Auger-Aliassime).

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/so-1-the-gioi-bi-cam-vi-doping-lang-quan-vot-day-song-185250216101751589.htm