Sinner's 3-month ban comes under scanner
The world’s top-ranked tennis player, Jannik Sinner, should consider himself lucky. The year’s first Grand Slam got over last month and the next major starts May 25. In between, the best tennis player in the world would be serving a three-month suspension for testing positive for banned substance Clostebol. Sinner recently accepted the suspension by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). He would welcome this outcome, which comes before the Court of Arbitration for Sport hears WADA’s appeal against the International Testing Agency’s ruling that found “no fault or negligence” on the athlete’s part. WADA was initially was looking for a sanction of 1-2 years. Though WADA has now accepted that it was not Sinner’s fault, “an athlete bears responsibility for the entourage’s negligence”, according to the rulebook. Meanwhile, Sinner may lose momentum during the layoff as he gets a much-needed time to recover. What matters is that he will be back for the second Grand Slam of the year.
When Sinner tested positive twice last year, he and his posse of lawyers argued that it was not the player’s fault and the ITA did not sanction him. The substance, claimed Sinner, had entered his body through a massage given by one of his trainers, that too in negligible traces. Tennis has seen such double standards when penalising top players. Recently, Iga Swiatek tested positive for the banned trimetazidine, but also got away with a month’s ban. Understandably, some top players and many fans were not amused with Sinner’s three-month ban, because they felt negotiation is not the best option when one has tested positive. It seems a bit too convenient for the top tennis players to negotiate, which should not be the case. This does not augur well for WADA as well. After 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive before the Tokyo Olympics, WADA had allowed them to take part in the main event, taking a hit on its image. Even if one accepts that Sinner has not done anything intentionally, as a top athlete, he has to be extra cautious. In today’s elite sports, the support staff, which includes physios and trainers, is well versed in anti-doping protocols. The three-month ban on Sinner will not help WADA cleanse its image of the gathered toxicity.