All eyes are on Jannik Sinner these days! On February 15, the anti-doping agency WADA released a statement saying the Italian will serve a three-month ban from 9 February to May 4, 2025. Shortly after this announcement, Sinner came up with his own statement as well, which read, “I have accepted WADA’s offer to resolve these proceedings on the basis of a 3-month sanction.” As a result of this out-of-court settlement, Sinner will return to competitive action just days before the Italian Open. He’s not allowed to attend any ATP, WTA, or ITF events in any capacity during this period. Amid all this, Sinner attended the Milan Fashion show in Gucci attire, which raised a few eyebrows. Fans, for sure, didn’t take kindly to it.

Jannik Sinner was spotted sitting in the front row with Anna Wintour, the Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Global, at the mega fashion event in Milan. The Italian tennis star donned an all-black outfit paired with white Nike sneakers. Apart from Wintour, Sinner posed for the camera with the CEO of Kering (Gucci), Francois-Henri Pinault, as well on the first day of the fashion week.

The current Australian Open champion was appointed as the Global Brand Ambassador for Gucci in July 2022 and ever since, he has carried custom Gucci duffle bags at various tournaments. According to Sinner, he didn’t know much about fashion before his collaboration with Gucci. In a previous interview with GQ, he said, “I didn’t know fashion at all. He explains the story and the reason behind certain clothes. I like this family feeling, no? Sometimes we text each other, it’s nice. I feel like, whenever he [Sabato de Sarno (Gucci’s creative director)] works, he’s very professional, but then whenever he finishes the work, he is like us, like just normal people.”

Italians and fashion go hand in hand and Sinner did manage to turn heads with his simple yet so elegant look at the Milan fashion show. Tennis Channel shared a couple of pictures of both Sinner and Wintour on their X handle with the caption, “Front row in Milan 🇮🇹🌟 @janniksin attends Gucci’s Fashion Week Show as their Global Brand Ambassador.” But the fans didn’t quite approve, as they expressed strong displeasure.

The agreement between WADA and Jannik Sinner‘s legal team has been a subject of much debate, although both parties have rubbished the accusations of favoritism. And, now Sinner attending the iconic fashion event, just days after the ban was confirmed, has got fans wondering.

Fans aren’t too pleased with Jannik Sinner’s presence at the Milan fashion show

WADA’s ruling of just a three-month ban for the world number one tennis player had already stirred a fair bit of controversy in the tennis world. Apart from Nick Kyrgios who called it a “sad day for tennis,” the Swiss star Stan Wawrinka wrote on X, “I don’t believe in a clean sport anymore.”

Even Novak Djokovic criticized the whole process, saying, “The majority of the players don’t feel it’s fair. The majority of the players feel there is favoritism happening. It appears that you can almost affect the outcome if you’re a top player if you have access to the top lawyers and whatnot.” Amid these backlashes, seeing Jannik Sinner enjoy his time at the Milan fashion show, drew comments like, “disgraced doper” from the fans on social media.

The British pro-Liam Broady also admitted that he was a “little bit upset at the verdict.” He claimed that “it does appear to be favoritism towards the better player on the Tour.” Even the former doubles world number one, Paul McNamee was a bit irked seeing Sinner receiving no form of “pain” during his three-month ban from tennis. Argentine tennis legend, Juan Martin del Potro found “the whole situation” a bit “strange“. So, there have been quite a few reactions coming in from the pro-players as well, on this ban.

And the fans aren’t pleased either. Another fan showcased his displeasure with Sinner’s attendance at the fashion show by highlighting the grim expression on Anna Wintour’s face during her photoshoot with the Italian tennis star. “Anna’s face says how we all feel about Jannik. 👎,” wrote a fan.

Despite the criticism though, WADA’s general counsel Ross Wenzel dismissed the accusations of favoritism in Jannik Sinner’s case by saying, “This was a case that was a million miles away from doping.” He further added, “The sanctions that we impose and the code even says this, they’re blind to the calendar.”

But fans aren’t convinced. Another fan wrote, “Um… why are you promoting a player who is currently serving a doping ban? I know the ban is a performative joke, but like… shouldn’t you be pretending to take it seriously? What a shameful look for the sport,” under Tennis Channel’s post.

Recently the Spanish legend Feliciano Lopez defended Jannik Sinner against the negative comments and argued that the Italian was punished despite being at no fault. Even Sinner himself initially questioned his lawyer, when WADA approached his legal team. “Well, why would we do that if the first independent tribunal found it was no ban at all, why would I accept three months now?” Eventually, though he accepted the ban. However, he is now being labeled as a “doper.” A fan wrote, “Why are you promoting a doper?”

Even Rafael Nadal’s uncle, Toni Nadal admitted that Sinner shouldn’t have been handed a ban. On the other hand, Serena Williams’ ex-coach Rick Macci said, “Greatness takes a negative and turns it into a positive.” He believes Sinner’s three-month break from tennis will help him improve his performance on the court. Despite these positive comments, Sinner’s appearance in Milan drew comments like, “Can we not post someone who negotiated his own suspension?”

As per WADA’s verdict, Jannik Sinner can start his “official training activity” on April 13. He’ll probably take part at the Italian Open, before making his way to the Roland Garros. Do you think Sinner can make a strong comeback after serving the ban?