Jannik Sinner defeated America’s Taylor Fritz quite comfortably (6-4, 6-4) in the second group stage match at the ATP Finals. On the court, Sinner has been exceptional this year, but off the court, he’s still being haunted by that controversial doping saga. According to the Italian newspaper la Repubblica’s earlier report, the verdict of the CAS on Jannik Sinner’s case will arrive in 2025, and they added that the ruling will probably come in February. Would the final decision be issued before the AO in this case? What does Taylor Fritz have to say about how the case is being handled and the timeline?

Now, if we take a look at the timeline of the incidents in this controversial case featuring the world’s number one tennis player, Jannik Sinner tested positive for low levels of clostebol (a banned anabolic steroid) on March 10 and 18. After that, the tribunal accepted Sinner’s explanation that the substance had entered his body when receiving a massage from his former physio, Giacomo Naldi who had previously used a spray containing that steroid to treat a cut on his finger. Then came WADA’s appeal to the CAS, seeking to impose a ban of up to 2 years on Sinner.

Meanwhile, we have seen several tennis experts and even Jannik Sinner’s peers come up with different opinions on the same issue. During the post-match press conference (November 12) in Turin, Fritz was asked to reflect a bit on the timeline featuring Sinner’s doping saga. In reply to that, he said, “I have no idea what the timelines are like on those things, so…I couldn’t tell you if I think they should make a decision. I have no clue how long that’s supposed to take. But I mean, I don’t know. I think everything’s been pretty I guess straightforward. All the stuff came out. He addressed it.“

Taylor Fritz has time and again expressed his full confidence in the thoroughness of the investigative process. In August, during an interview, we heard him say, “I trust that whoever, like, the whole investigative process was done properly…I trust that he wasn’t, you know, at fault or purposely doing anything.” Then coming back to the recent press conference at the ATP Finals, Fritz further added, “It’s one of those situations like, my opinion doesn’t matter at all. It’s the same as everyone else’s opinion. I don’t have any knowledge that everyone here doesn’t have. The people that know all the specifics are Jannik and his team so…“

Fritz claimed that he’s pretty much “un-opinionated” on the subject because he has no clues about what’s going on or what happened. Despite all these things off the court, Jannik Sinner still managed to clinch 7 titles this season and that includes 2 Grand Slam triumphs too! Although there were times when he felt quite disappointed with what was going on around him, still he managed to keep his focus on the game throughout the season. His calm and composed nature on and off the court is quite praiseworthy, isn’t it?

However, Taylor Fritz wasn’t the only one in Turin to face questions about Sinner’s doping saga! Even Alex de Minaur was asked about the same after the first match. What was his reply, though?

Not only Taylor Fritz but also Alex de Minaur shared a similar thought on Jannik Sinner’s doping saga

As soon as Jannik Sinner learned that WADA had appealed to CAS, seeking a ban of up to 2 years, he got a bit disappointed. During the China Open, he spoke about the same and added, “We cannot control everything. Obviously, I’m very disappointed and also surprised. We had three hearings. All three hearings came out very positively for me. Maybe they just want to make sure that everything is in the right position. Yeah, I’m just surprised that they appealed.“

Everyone wondered whether he’d be able to take part in the Grand Slam events in 2025. Then WADA came up with a clarification claiming, it is “not seeking a disqualification of any results” other than the sanctions which have already been handed out by the independent tribunal. So, this was a bit of a sigh of relief for Sinner and his fans. Now, his fans perhaps want the final verdict before the 2025 AO!

Should Jannik Sinner get the final verdict before the first major tournament of the 2025 season? In reply to this question, Alex de Minaur said, “I mean, honestly I’m just a tennis player. I’ve got no bearing in making these types of decisions whatsoever. I’m sure everything will happen when it needs to happen.” De Minaur was defeated by Sinner in the first group stage match 3-6, 4-6. Highlighting a bit on his previous encounters with Sinner, he later showered praise on the Italian.

He said, “As for Jannik, I can only say on what I know of him as a person. Even though he’s kicked my a– seven times now, he’s a great guy. We shared a lot of moments on the court together. Him and his team, I’ve got a lot of respect for.” So, now we’ve heard what Taylor Fritz and Alex de Minaur had to say on this. What are your thoughts on the same, though?