Fate is finally undoing the worst of it on Jannik Sinner. After calls for suspension from several pros for his failed dope tests, the Italian is now facing the music again. The World No. 1 was handed a clean chit from an independent tribunal of the ITIA, deeming that he bore ‘no fault or negligence’ after twice testing positive for a banned anabolic, Clostebol, during his Indian Wells Masters campaign earlier this year. With sudden twists and turns raising the possibility of a problematic future, Sinner has lamented over the situation first-hand.

In a surprising turn of events, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Thursday, September 26th. Hoping to induce a potential two-year ban for the Italian star, the agency stated earlier today: “that the finding of ‘no fault or negligence’ was not correct under the applicable rules”. Despite maintaining his innocence and clarifying that the contamination stemmed from his ex-physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi, Sinner seems to be in trouble again.

With his doping saga not concluded yet, the 23-year-old made a poignant admission during a post-match presser at the China Open. He expressed his disappointment with the appeal, despite taking reasonable measures to sideline his recent troubles. “I’m very disappointed and surprised of this appeal. All three hearings came out positively for me. I knew that they were going to appeal. Maybe they just want to make sure that everything is in the right position. I’m just surprised that they appealed,” Sinner said.

For those unaware, Sinner fired two members of his support staff, fitness coach Umberto Ferrara and physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi, following his doping nightmare. Notably, the two-time Grand Slam champion replaced those staff members with a new fitness coach and physiotherapist, who previously worked with Serbian superstar Novak Djokovic.

The doping controversy has not affected Sinner’s performance on the Tour at all, as he has continued to make waves. The World No.1 recently scripted yet another jaw-dropping victory in Beijing, helping him advance to the quarterfinals.

Jannik Sinner registers comeback victory against Roman Safiullin at China Open

Italian ‘force to be reckoned with’ Jannik Sinner’s steely resilience has been on display in Beijing. The World No. 1 bagged his second consecutive comeback victory on the Tour after rallying past Roman Safiullin in a thriller three-set showdown, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3. Furthermore, with this win, Sinner achieved the feat of reaching at least the QF in every tour-level event this season.

In an on-court interview, the 23-year-old reserved a few words to express his elation at winning the nerve-racking contest at the China Open, despite not performing at his 100%. “I tried to keep up mentally, which today was very tough. Especially on these kinds of days, when maybe you don’t feel at your 100 percent, to find a way through means so much to me. He’s an incredible player, so I knew I had to raise my level when it counted.”

Next up, the top seed will square off against Jiri Lehecka for a place in the last four on Monday, September 30. Both players clashed for the first time earlier this season, with Sinner notching up the win and holding an edge over the Czech sensation in their head-to-head record. Who do you think will win this time?