Top ranked Italian tennis player, Jannik Sinner is adamant that he is not guilty of the doping allegations levelled against him.
He is set to appear at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in a closed-door hearing scheduled between 16-17 April, in Lausanne, Switzerland.
This follows an appeal that was lodged by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), challenging the ruling by an independent tribunal of International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), which found Sinner to bear no fault or negligence after testing positive for a prohibited substance called clostebol in 2024.
Although the 23-year-old tennis star explained the trace of the substance, saying it was due to a massage from a trainer who used it after cutting his own finger, WADA is adamant that ITIA’s judgment was incorrect, and is pushing for a level one to two-year suspension of Sinner.
The case sparked controversy in the sport, with Olympic gold medal winner Novak Djokovic criticising what he likened to preferential treatment from tennis authorities.
Some players also bemoaned the lack of transparency and warned that this will hurt the image of the sport.
Sinner, who is looking to defend his title at the Australian Open underway in Melbourne, opened to reporters about the mental strain of the case.
“In my mind, I know exactly what happened, and that’s how I block it out.
I haven’t done anything wrong, that’s why I am still here.
That’s why I’m still playing,” remarked Sinner.
Despite the difficulties, Sinner said he has accepted the current circumstance and will now try to prepare for the Grand Slam.
Meanwhile, Sinner will next face Nicolas Jarry on Monday 13 January.
