There has been a strong reaction to Jannik Sinner receiving a three month ban following his positive anti-doping test in March last year.
Sinner will be banned until May 4, after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s (ITIA) initial ruling that he was not guilty of any wrongdoing.
The world number one was found to have the banned substance clostebol at Indian Wells back last year, but was allowed to continue competing on the grounds of contamination.
As a result of his ban, Sinner is set to return at the Italian Open and will not miss any Grand Slam tournaments.
This has prompted a big reaction from both fans and players, with Nick Kyrgios responding to Sinner’s announcement almost instantly.
Stan Wawrinka had some strong words for Sinner as well, with Daniil Medvedev now having his say.
Daniil Medvedev reacts to Jannik Sinner receiving a three month ban
Medvedev and Sinner have played each other many times over the past year, with the latter winning five of their six meetings in 2024.
This includes the Australian Open final, where Sinner came from two sets to love down to win his first Grand Slam title.
Sinner defended the Australian Open this year, while Medvedev continues to struggle for form after winning only four of his seven matches so far in 2025.
After losing in the semi-finals of the ATP 250 event in Marseille, Medvedev was asked for his verdict on Sinner’s ban in his press conference.
Despite Sinner accepting a three month ban, WADA were originally seeking a suspension of between one and two years, something that Medvedev referenced in his answer.
“I hope that from now on, if WADA if they tell you: ‘we found this, it’s two years’, you answer: ‘no, I want a month’,” I hope it’s a precedent. Otherwise it would be weird.”
Greg Rusedski and others react to Jannik Sinner accepting a three month ban
Medvedev is not the only person to speak about the precedent that this could set for the whole system, with Greg Rusedski suggesting that this verdict gave him more answers than questions.
“Is the Sinner 3 month ban which was agreed by player and CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport) correct? How is this due process? Does this set a precedent for the whole system now?” the former US Open finalist questioned on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Someone who knows what it is like to be on the wrong end of an anti-doping ruling is British player Tara Moore, who was provisionally suspended by the ITIA for an anti-doping rule violation in June 2022.
However, after pleading her innocence it was ruled in December 2023 that Moore was not guilty of any fault or negligence on the grounds of contamination to food at the event she was playing.
With Moore clearly having strong feelings on this topic, she responded to Rusedski’s social media post by saying, “This?? Can someone explain how a negotiation was possible?”
Five-time Grand Slam doubles champion Paul McNamee also had strong opinions on this verdict, and mentioned those players that have received harsher rulings.
“Regarding Sinner…not good that a world #1 is suspended, but the fact he doesn’t miss a Slam, where his absence would be a major focus, raises the perception that timing was relevant to the deal,” said McNamee. “This leaves a sour taste for those who suffered more, but good luck to him I suppose.”
While former player turned commentator Rob Koenig offered a different perspective, suggesting that Sinner had the power in this situation over WADA that explains the lesser sentence.
“Settlements, in legal battles, are much more common than going to trial,” said Koenig. “There’s a reason why Sinner has got a “desirable” outcome, and that will be, cos his case was much stronger than WADA’s . Any good lawyer will tell you that (I’ve chatted to a good one…)”
Koenig added, “Sinner, clearly tired of this dragging on, and being in a position of ‘legal’ strength, has settled for an option that suits him. That’s how it works. The way we think, and how the law actually interprets things, are often different…”
Sinner will now no longer play at the Qatar Open, and will also miss the sunshine double of Indian Wells and the Miami Open before returning for the latter stages of the clay court season.
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