Sinner? “Will end with a six-month sentence”

Will he still be banned or will he be allowed to continue playing without a ban? Whether Jannik Sinner will be punished after his positive doping test or not still seems to be an open question. After the current number one tested positive for Clostebol, a banned anabolic steroid, twice in March, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is still calling for a two-year ban.

Sinner had previously successfully challenged the provisional ban imposed by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA). The ITIA decided not to object and referred the case to an independent court. This reasoned that sinners should not be accused of guilt or negligence – but WADA sees it differently.

After his acquittal by the independent court, Sinner won the US Open and continued to play convincing tennis on the ATP tour. The Italian still denies cheating scientifically and claims that the Clostebol spray, available over the counter in Italy, was only applied to his skin to treat a wound.

The case is polarizing: tennis fans are demanding an acquittal, critics are calling for more transparency in the handling of doping cases. Autumn is even re-enacted on Italian television. The only thing that is certain is that WADA will appeal against the acquittal to the International Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) – the outcome is unclear.

If the former number one, Andy Roddick, has his way, Sinner should definitely be punished, like this one in his podcast Served with Andy Roddick reports: “I am convinced of it. It will end with a six-month sentence, in keeping with the spirit of such a case. I would be very surprised if there was no suspension.”

He believed that this decision could be a “political solution” that would “make everything right.” Such a ban would certainly be long, but not so long that it would really affect and slow down the career of a top player. Anyone could still expect that Sinner could continue his career at the top level for years to come.

With his assessment, Roddick agreed with many observers, who also expect a maximum ban of six months. It is considered unlikely that sinners will face the two-year ban required by WADA.

For Roddick, such a long ban would be absolutely too high – especially since the proven substance would not bring any advantages in tennis: “If Sinner had really consciously taken a banned substance that did not give him any performance advantage, that would be the stupidest ‘dope’ the history of sport.”

However, the American did not believe in a complete acquittal, also because fraud that does not increase performance is prohibited and does not protect against punishment.

It will be exciting to see how the CAS decides in the Sinner case. The entire tennis world will be looking forward to Lausanne. A ban on the currently best tennis player in the world would be a harder blow for the entire ATP.