Despite the new season underway, the doping controversy of Jannik Sinner refuses to settle. Ahead of the US Open, it was revealed that the Italian star failed a couple of doping tests dating back to March last year during the Indian Wells tournament. Sinner’s sample was found to contain the banned substance, Clostebol. However, Sinner explained that he had come in contact with it through a spray applied by his physio, and his justification was found valid in preventing his suspension. Months after this controversial episode, a doping expert made a startling revelation in Sinner’s case.

In an interview with tennis365 earlier this week, ITIA CEO Karen Moorhouse hinted that Sinner faces a potential risk of getting a 1-year ban despite being let off initially. “If you test positive for a banned substance, the starting point for a possible ban is four years,” she said. “If it can be proven that it was not intentional, the penalty is reduced to two years. At this point, there are distinctions to be made.” To add fuel to the fire, doping expert Fritz Sörgel, also hinted that Sinner should face punishment.

During an interview with a German press agency, Sörgel, director of the Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Research in Nuremberg, said, “Jannik Sinner should be suspended because every athlete is responsible for what he puts in his body. If he is not, the World Anti-Doping Agency would make a fool of itself.” 

A case in point: In December 2024, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) suspended Russian tennis player Daniil Savelev) for two years after testing positive for meldonium in July 2024. Savelev, who reached a career-high doubles ranking of 1,486, admitted to ingesting meldonium unknowingly, mistaking it for a family member’s medication. The ITIA accepted his explanation that the violation was unintentional.

Despite this setback, many fellow players have backed Sinner. Recently, Slovenian star, Tamara Zidansek called Sinner’s doping saga ‘messed up’ and revealed, “Every player is responsible for themselves but if we are talking about this small doses, Jannik Sinner had something like — it got out that it wasn’t affecting his performance, you know, why should that then matter, but it is what it is. Rules are the rules and they know what they’re doing better than us.”

Amid this controversy, there were also question marks on how the episode would leave a bad impression on the sport.

What did John McEnroe say about the doping episode of Jannik Sinner?

Last year, Sinner wasn’t the only high-profile player embroiled in a doping controversy. Former World Number 1, Iga Swiatek, also tested positive for a banned substance and was banned from tennis for a month. With two high-profile cases, tennis’ reputation came into question, but McEnroe defended the sport by comparing it to other sports.

He said, “The recent doping controversies have not harmed the reputation of tennis, but having a single commissioner would help clarify the confusion surrounding doping cases. I don’t think it has done any harm because, if you look, it’s much worse in other sports. In my opinion, tennis is cleaner than any other sport, although that doesn’t mean there are no issues… We need a tennis commissioner who really steps out there and speaks on behalf of the players to defend them, or not defend them.”

While the doping episodes refuse to die down, fans would look to shift their focus to the Australian Open. The first Grand Slam tournament of the 2025 kicks off next week, and will have the likes of Sinner and Swiatek in action.