Just after the new year began, top-ranked tennis star Jannik Sinner found himself facing his past mistakes. On February 15, 2025, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) issued a three-month ban to Sinner.[1] Months before his ban, Sinner received his anti-doping violation. Sinner tested positive for Clostebol – a banned anabolic steroid.[2] Sinner tested positive twice for the steroid last March during the Indian Wells Masters 1000 Tennis Tournament.[3] Because of his positive drug test, WADA sought to ban the tennis star for at least one year. In response to the positive test, Sinner alleged the drug entered his system unintentionally as a result of a massage spray.[4] “Concluding” the saga, the parties agreed to the three-month ban in the settlement, ending the controversy spanning close to a year.
According to WADA’s Anti-Doping Policy, a rule violation occurs when “the presence of Prohibited Substance or its Metabolites or Markers in an Athlete’s bodily Specimen.”[5] Anti-doping violations are a strict liability rule, meaning no matter if the athlete was at fault for putting the substance in their body, they will be responsible for violating the rule. While the rule falls under strict liability, “the imposition of a fixed period of Ineligibility is not automatic.”[6] However, WADA provides guidelines as to how long a tennis player will be suspended for a first violation of the anti-doping policy, WDA suggests the violation to be two years of ineligibility. If an athlete violates the policy again, they suggest a lifetime ban. Like Sinner did in his most recent suspension, athletes are able to establish a basis for reducing their sanction.[7]
Sinner is not the only top-ranked tennis player to accept a suspension for doping. During the same time, number two ranked player Iga Swiatek tested positive for low levels of the prohibited substance trimetazidine – often used to treat heart-related conditions.[8] According to Swiatek, she was taking the medication the substance was found in “for jet lag and sleep issues.” Different from Sinner, the substance found in Swiatek’s system was a non-specified substance, subject to immediate suspension.[9] Swiatek immediately appealed, and her suspension was lifted in October. While the Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) found that Swiatek’s use of the substance was highly unusual, “the fact that the product is regulated medicine in one country cannot of itself be sufficient to avoid any level of fault.”[10] Swiatek was only suspended for one month, coming back in early December to finish the year with the WTA Finals and Billie Jean King Cup finals.
What differs between Swiatek’s and Sinner’s suspensions? WADA did not appeal the one-month sanction given to Swiatek, whereas Sinner’s three-month sanction came after an appeal. Additionally, Sinner was not suspended during the investigation into his doping violation, unlike Swiatek. While WADA was to appeal his doping violation, Sinner was able to claim his third Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January 2025.[11] Because of Sinner’s and Swiatek’s suspensions, players have begun to question the integrity of tennis as a whole, stating that “they don’t believe in a clean sport anymore.”[12]
Why do people think this? For starters, Sinner’s three-month ban came AFTER he won a Grand Slam Title and will end BEFORE the year’s second Grand Slam at the French Open. A particularly convenient suspension for Sinner allows him to miss out on no major tournaments, and lose no titles or prize money. [13] Additionally, the suspensions of both Sinner and Swiatek indicate the inconsistencies in the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) doping cases. Former tennis players Tara Moore and Simona Halep have criticized both the PTPA and the ITIA for their double standards in admitting doping sanctions. Both Moore and Halep have been suspended previously for doping violations. Moore was given a two-year suspension, which was later overturned. Halep received a four-year ban for two separate offenses, later reduced to nine months.[14]
Were Sinner and Swiatek treated more favorably because they were top-ranked professionals? Would they have gotten more favorable treatment if they were lower-ranked tennis players with less notable names with fewer titles to their names? Regardless of this fact, WADA, PTPA, and ITIA must resolve the inconsistent process for doping violations. Both players’ sanctions reveal that the battle is far from over. Will ITIA be able to solve the problem and curb players’ and fans’ current distaste for the game?
[1]https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/43854993/no-1-jannik-sinner-gets-3-month-ban-doping-settlement.
[2] https://ublawsportsforum.com/2024/09/13/us-open-champs-alleged-doping-problems-continue/.
[3] https://ublawsportsforum.com/2024/09/13/us-open-champs-alleged-doping-problems-continue/.
[4]https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/43363975/tennis-australian-open-jannik-sinner-iga-swiatek-doping-cases-faq-questions-next.
[5] https://www.wada-ama.org/sites/default/files/resources/files/LEGAL_code_appendix.pdf.
[6] https://www.wada-ama.org/sites/default/files/resources/files/LEGAL_code_appendix.pdf.
[7] https://www.wada-ama.org/sites/default/files/resources/files/LEGAL_code_appendix.pdf.
[8]https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/43363975/tennis-australian-open-jannik-sinner-iga-swiatek-doping-cases-faq-questions-next/
[9]https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/43363975/tennis-australian-open-jannik-sinner-iga-swiatek-doping-cases-faq-questions-next.
[10]https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/43363975/tennis-australian-open-jannik-sinner-iga-swiatek-doping-cases-faq-questions-next.
[11] https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/articles/cz7e4l2248wo.
[12] https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/articles/cz7e4l2248wo.
[13] https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/articles/cz7e4l2248wo.
[14] https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/articles/cz7e4l2248wo.
Alex Brockhuizen (’25) is pursuing her JD at the University at Buffalo School of Law, with a concentration in Sports Law. After graduation, she will be working at Bond, Schoeneck & King PLLC. At UB, Alex is co-director of the Labor and Employment Law Society and Treasurer of the Buffalo Sports Law and Entertainment Law Society. She is also Business Editor of the Buffalo Law Review, where she was deemed a finalist of the Note and Comment Competition her 2L year. Alex is also a former two-sport athlete at Elmira College.
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