“Carlos Alcaraz starts to be like Rafael Nadal, statements without sense” - Fans react to Spaniard's comments on Jannik Sinner's 3-month doping ban

Tennis fans recently reacted to Carlos Alcaraz's remarks regarding Jannik Sinner's three-month doping ban. Sinner has been suspended from February 9, 2025, to May 4, 2025, and he will be eligible to resume official training from April 13, 2025.

Last year, it was revealed that Sinner had tested positive for the prohibited substance clostebol twice in March during the 2024 Indian Wells Masters. Following investigations by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) and appeals from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), it was recently announced that the World No.1 has accepted a three-month suspension from the ATP Tour.

As a result, WADA has also formally withdrawn its appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). In light of this, while speaking to the press, Carlos Alcaraz was asked to give his thoughts on Jannik Sinner's suspension, to which the Spaniard chose not to comment.

When asked if Sinner's absence from the tour would aid in his quest to reclaim the World No.1 position, Alcaraz stated that his primary focus is on self-improvement and playing better tennis, regardless of Sinner's presence on the tour.

“The truth is that there is little to say. Whether he is there or not does not affect us. We continue to focus on our own and our objectives . Number one is always a goal. As I say, not being there doesn't change anything for us. We try to improve in our field and focus on continuing to work to reach number one,” Alcaraz said (translated from Spanish).

Carlos Alcaraz's remarks on Jannik Sinner's doping suspension drew various reactions from tennis fans, who took to social media to express their opinions.

One fan likened Carlos Alcaraz's responses to those of Rafael Nadal, describing them as "statements without sense."

“Carlos starts to be like [Rafael] Nadal, statements without sense 💩 ,” a fan posted.

Another fan pointed out that Carlos Alcaraz answered the questions without exactly answering anything.

“Carlos saying everthing without sayina nothing,” a fan wrote.

“Well done to Carlos ,being sensitive and diplomatic,” a fan posted.

“Carlos has become so much better at managing and maneuvering around difficult, leading questions. So good to see his growing maturity and confidence in these situations,” a fan wrote.

Here are some other fan reactions :

“And they said that [Roger] Federer was a company man Carlos that was a very disappointing answer,” a fan posted.

“The smart players will answer like this. The dummies will try to get attention off this and fail,” a fan wrote.

“Noticing a contrast in that the younger generation are handling this respectfully and professionally while the older generation of current players are acting like toddlers,” a fan posted.

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Carlos Alcaraz will next compete at Qatar Open 2025

Carlos Alcaraz at the 2025 ABN AMRO Open [Image Source: Getty Images]

Carlos Alcaraz is currently in Doha preparing to begin his campaign at the 2025 Qatar Open, which will take place from February 17 to February 22, 2025, at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex.

Alcaraz is heading into the tournament fresh off his title win at the 2025 ABN AMRO Open. He had triumphed over Botic van de Zandschulp and Andrea Vavassori in the first and second rounds, respectively, at the ATP 500 hard court event in Rotterdam.

In the quarterfinals, the Spaniard overcame Pedro Martinez and then registered a win over Hubert Hurkacz in the semifinals to secure his spot in the final. In the championship match, Alcaraz emerged victorious against Alex de Minaur with a score of 6–4, 3–6, 6–2 to claim the 2025 ABN AMRO Open title, his 17th ATP Tour title overall.

At the 2025 Qatar Open, Carlos Alcaraz is the top seed, and he will face off against Marin Cilic in the first round. The two players have faced each other four times on the ATP Tour, with the former World No. 1 emerging triumphant in three of those match-ups.

Their most recent encounter took place in the fourth round of the 2022 US Open, where Alcaraz secured a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 win and then went on to win the Grand Slam title by defeating Casper Ruud in the final.

The winner of the first-round match between Carlos Alcaraz and Cilic at the Qatar Open will advance to face either Zhang Zhizhen or qualifier Luca Nardi in the second round.