The three-month doping ban handed to Jannik Sinner has been slammed as far too lenient by many in the tennis world, with Australian Nick Kyrgios again leading the backlash.
Kyrgios declared on Saturday that “fairness in tennis does not exist” upon learning of Sinner’s settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) after testing positive to banned steroid clostebol.
WADA had originally sought a one-year ban for Sinner’s failed doping tests but the 23-year-old back-to-back Australian Open champ agreed to accept a shorter ban, knowing he will be back in action from May 4 in time to play the next grand slam, the French Open, which starts at Roland Garros on May 25.
The decision did not just prompt Kyrgios’s wrath, with the Novak Djokovic-founded Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) citing a “lack of transparency” in the system, while three-time grand slam winner Stan Wawrinka posted on social media he had lost faith in tennis.
Kyrgios, who has been one of Sinner’s most outspoken critics since the Italian’s positive test came to light last year, continued posting on social media.
“So he was found guilty — hence the ban. But didn’t get stripped of anything and can play the French. Sad sad sad day,” he wrote on X.
“Obviously Sinner’s team have done everything in their power to just go ahead and take a 3 month ban, no titles lost, no prize money lost.
“Guilty or not? Sad day for tennis. Fairness in tennis does not exist.”
Kyrgios went on a tear on social media, labelling the decision “dodgy as”, and saying “a lot of players … are feeling the same way at the moment” on a “bad day for tennis”.
Former top 100 player Liam Broady was clearly one of those players.
WADA had challenged last year’s decision by the International Tennis Integrity Agency not to suspend Sinner for what the ITIA adjudged an accidental contamination by a banned anabolic steroid last March.
Sinner’s explanation — that clostebol in his doping sample was due to a massage from a trainer who used the substance after cutting his own finger — was accepted.
But the PTPA criticised all the tennis and anti-doping bodies involved in the decision — the men and women’s tours (ATP and WTA), the grand slams, the ITIA and WADA.
“The ‘system’ is not a system. It’s a club. Supposed case-by-case discretion is, in fact, merely cover for tailored deals, unfair treatment, and inconsistent rulings. It’s not just the different results for different players. It’s the lack of transparency,” the PTPA said on X.
“The lack of process. The lack of consistency. The lack of credibility in the alphabet soup of agencies charged with regulating our sports and athletes.”
Kyrgios has been vocal about the Sinner case from the outset, saying back in August when news broke of the Italian’s two failed tests: “You should be gone for two years. Your performance was enhanced. Massage cream … Yeah, nice.”
Sinner’s huge 3,195-point advantage in the live ATP rankings could could be eaten into during his absence as he cannot defend his points from last year, including his Miami Open title defence, worth 1,000 points.
He will miss Indian Wells, where he reached the semifinals, and the clay-court Monte Carlo Masters and Madrid Open, leaving opportunity for number two Alexander Zverev and number three Carlos Alcaraz to cash in.
Sinner will be back in time the Rome Masters from May 7, in the lead-up to the clay-court grand slam in Paris.
AAP
