"I was very fragile": Jannik Sinner reveals what he felt after agreeing three-month ban for violation of doping protocols

Italy’s Jannik Sinner has revealed how he felt after accepting a three-month ban for failing two dope tests last year. The 23-year-old, who is regarded as one of the best players currently playing in men’s tennis in the singles category, tested positive for banned substance clostebol in two doping tests in March last year.

The reigning world number one, however, managed to escape any ban as 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 he came in close contact with his physio Naldi who used to spray for the treatment of a cut on his finger.

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 as WADA announced that they had reached an agreement with Sinner, which will result in the player remaining out of action for three months. His ban will end just a few days before the start of the Rome Masters in May later this year. Sinner has been recently quoted in a report by The Tennis Gazette, where he explained how he felt after accepting the ban. The three-time Grand Slam winner also stated that he has mixed feelings about having a three-month ban.

“I was very fragile because things happened that I didn’t expect, unexpected reactions inside me,” said Sinner. “Otherwise, I would be lying. I would appear to be a person without feelings and emotions, without anything, but in life, you learn. It wasn’t easy; in fact, it was very difficult, but the people around me lifted my spirits; they gave me the strength to better understand what happened. The three-month suspension was a decision to be made in a short time, even if I did not agree with it, in the end you have to choose the lesser evil and I think that is what I did. Even if sometimes I feel that what I am going through is a bit unfair, but it is also true that it could have been much worse, right? This whole story could have been even more unfair, so it went like this.”