Sara Errani: What Led to Her Abrupt Ban in 2017 and How Was It Connected to Her Ailing Mother?

Sara Errani’s rise to the top has been a journey full of ups and downs. But the former World No. 5 who once graced the singles final at the French Open in 2012, is once again back with her ‘A’ game at Roland Garros. Only this time, the difference is that she is going to show her magic in the doubles category final match alongside Jasmine Paolini. Although she has successfully returned to the top rankings once again, the journey up to here was not smooth. Especially after the 2017 drug incident that kept her from playing tennis for months.

The former doubles World No. 1 was steadily rising to the top of tennis after her breakthrough year in 2012. This is because that is the year when she not only reached the quarterfinal in Australia but also won the doubles title at the French Open after a few months. After four years, with her constant hard work, she also grabbed her first WTA title in singles in Dubai. However, fate took a different turn after that in 2017. 

The then 30-year-old was not only fighting her on-court battles but also a personal one since 2005, as her mother was undergoing treatment for breast cancer. However, on top of that, she faced another adversity. It happened when Errani provided a sample of urine for a test and eventually failed it. The out-of-competition test that she took in February 2017 showed a positive result for a drug called Letrozole, which is known to increase lean body mass.

However, Errani claimed she took it by accident while having tortellini with her family. “Together with my family, we have tried to understand how this contamination could have happened because I am 100 percent certain I haven’t taken a pill by mistake. The only viable option has been that an accidental food contamination occurred,” she said.

However, the five-time Grand Slam winner in doubles received a ban for two months, starting on August 3rd. This also prohibited the then World No. 98 in singles from playing at the U.S. Open, which was about to start that month. However, later on, the ban was extended to a period of 10 months in total, with Sara Errani coming back on-court ultimately in 2019. Dissatisfied with this, she also revealed her take on the subject during that time.

Sara Errani shares her “disgust” at the whole incident

After serving two months of ban at first, Sara Errani was just about to resume her career in October by playing in Croatia. However, the Italian player who withdrew from the semifinals of that match had to serve another eight-month ban after that. “The CAS Panel upheld the Italian National Anti-Doping Agency appeal and imposed a ten-month period of ineligibility, effective immediately,” the statement said.

Expressing her thoughts on the matter, she said, “I am really disgusted by this matter. I don’t think anything similar has ever happened or been managed – in my humble opinion – in such a shameful manner.”

However, nothing stopped her from fulfilling her dreams of playing tennis. Sara Errani once again captured the hearts of fans in 2021 with her semifinal appearance in the doubles category in Rome. Since then, she is slowly returning to the top spot once again. Now, as she goes into the French Open final, the tennis world waits to see another of her top-tier performances at a Grand Slam event!