Britain’s tennis star
Jack Draper has come out in support of
Italy’s
Jannik Sinner after being banned for failed
doping tests. The
23-year-old, who is widely regarded as one of the best players currently
playing in women’s tennis in the singles category, has been in the news for
wrong reasons despite achieving some incredible results on the court during the
last 12 months.
Sinner tested positive for banned substance clostebol in two
doping tests in March last year but miraculously managed to escape any ban. The International Tennis Integrity Agency
(ITIA) declared him innocent following a detailed hearing where his counsel
claimed that the substance was available in the player’s sample because one
member of the coaching staff had received a cream for the treatment of an
injury.
Things turned ugly for the world number one in October last
year when it was announced that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed
against the ITIA’s verdict in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and
demanded a two-year ban for the three-time Grand Slam winner. However, the
issue finally came to a conclusion on Saturday as
WADA announced that they had
reached an agreement with Sinner, which will result in the player remaining out
of action for three months.
Ever since the news broke out of the agreement between WADA
and Sinner, the reigning world number one has been severely criticised for
using his power to get away with minimal punishment. However, Britain’s young tennis star, Draper, has recently spoken to
Sky Sports, where he backed the three-time Grand Slam winner to come back to the court soon and start producing the goods. Draper also stated that in his opinion, it is not a good thing for sport that
the best player in the world is facing a three-month ban.
“Yea I know Jannik is a good friend and I know that with
this whole thing, I am sure he wouldn’t have done anything intentionally,” he
said. “But obviously, that’s the sport and we have to be accountable for what’s
going in our bodies. Yea, he is obviously banned now for few months. I don’t
think that’s good for tennis. I don’t think it’s good for sport that the number
one player in the world and someone who is doing incredible things is having a
ban but you know he will be back shortly and I wish him all the best. I hope he
is going to be okay.”