The world number one, who is completing an exceptional 2024 season, has once again spoken out about the threat of suspension that awaits him.
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, whose suspension the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) requested for one to two years after he tested positive for an anabolic, admitted on Sunday that this matter was being discussed “A little» in his head, without being “concerned» however.
«Of course it’s running through my head a little», conceded the boss of men’s tennis during a press conference following Italy’s third Davis Cup victory in Malaga. “Sometimes life is full of difficulties and you just have to face them», Continued Sinner, initially cleared by the International Agency for Tennis Integrity (Itia) before WADA appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, whose decision is expected in the coming weeks.
However, “I am not concerned, I will collaborate as I have done the previous times. I always repeat: we had three hearings that ended positively“, he continued.
“A little rest” for the Italian
Sinner suffered two positive doping tests eight days apart in March 2024 during the North American tour. Trace amounts of clostebol, an anabolic drug, were found in his urine. Itia accepted his explanation at the end of August that he had suffered accidental contamination due to a spray used by a member of his team.
«The most important thing is that everyone around me, who knows me as a human being, believes me”, which is the case according to Sinner. “This is also why I continued to play at my level», concluded the world No.1, who has had a string of victories at the Shanghai Masters 1000, the Turin ATP Masters and the Davis Cup since WADA announced its appeal. In the immediate future, “I’m going to take a little rest, it’s been a long season.»
With the other members of the Italian team, “we joked that we were starting again (already, Editor’s note) in a month», with the start of the Australian tour where Sinner will defend his title at the Australian Open.
