Number One Ranked Jannik Sinner Now Banned For Three Months After Partial Confession to Using Illegal Substance

  

   

Now this is bizarre. The current world's number one player in tennis, who also happened to win the last two Grand Slams titles (the US Open and the Australian Open) has at least partially confessed to using banned substances. So he has been given a three month ban, although he will keep his titles, and be back in the sport soon enough.

As the author of this article, Simon Cambers, suggests, it most certainly is not a good look for the sport. Can you imagine if this had happened with guys of similar stature during their prime, like one of the "Big Three?" Or Pete Sampras or Andre Agassi? 

Obviously, Sinner was impressive in winning all of those titles and earning the number one ranking. He appears a bit lanky and even awkward, even if he plays tennis with killer instincts. So it was not obvious to suspect him for using banned substances. 

What this does, however, is seriously detract from the credibility of those titles. I was not a huge fan of Sinner (at least not to this point), but I was happy that he became the first Italian man to enjoy this level of tennis success.

However, I have to rethink that a bit now. Somehow, those titles and that number one ranking feels a little....well, again, all of his success feels compromised. Like it needs an asterisk attached to it.

It is also opening up a can of worms in terms of fairness. Other players who have not quite had the huge success - and thus the high profile - that Sinner has earned have faced far harsher punishments. So why did Sinner get off relatively lightly?

And is it not possible that maybe he gets stripped of his titles, with the runners-up receiving the titles instead, as happened in cycling (I know it's a different sport) after Lance Armstrong was caught cheating by doping? 

Wow. This is huge/ 

Hard not to wonder how much this will affect the prestige and credibility of tennis, particularly at the highest levels, now.

Jannik Sinner’s doping settlement means nobody loses but try telling Halep that by Simon Cambers, Sat 15 Feb 2025.

Italian received a shorter ban with admission of guilt but others have been treated a lot more harshly in cases of contamination

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/feb/15/jannik-sinners-doping-settlement-means-nobody-loses-but-try-telling-halep-that