World No. 1 Tennis Player Banned for Doping Violation

World number one Jannik Sinner has accepted a three-month suspension from tennis after reaching a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) over two positive drug tests last year.

The 23-year-old, who won the Australian Open last month, is banned from 9 February to 4 May but will be eligible to compete in the French Open, which begins on 19 May.

WADA had appealed Sinner’s initial clearance to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) but accepted his explanation that the banned substance clostebol entered his system through inadvertent contamination from his physiotherapist.

The agency acknowledged that the three-time Grand Slam champion had “no intent to cheat” and that the substance “did not provide any performance-enhancing benefit.”

However, WADA stated that, under its regulations, an athlete is ultimately responsible for their entourage’s negligence.

“Based on the unique set of facts of this case, a three-month suspension is deemed to be an appropriate outcome,” WADA said in a statement.

Sinner recently posted his return to training on Instagam.