Casper Ruud reveals what he truly thinks of Jannik Sinner's ban, days after calling out false account involving them

Casper Ruud revealed his thoughts about Jannik Sinner's three-month doping ban. He spoke on the ban just days after calling out a French newspaper for spreading false statements involving him and Sinner.

Sinner tested positive for clostebol twice last year, prompting an investigation by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA). Ultimately, they found that he was not responsible for the anti-doping rule violations.

At first, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) challenged this decision. However, after reviewing the Italian's explanation for the prohibited substance in his system, they settled on a three-month suspension.

Following the news of Sinner's suspension, Le Parisien published an article attributing remarks to Casper Ruud that he did not make. Ruud quickly clarified that the journalism was "very bad and untrustworthy."

In a recent conversation with journalist Ben Rothenberg, on Bounces, Ruud expressed his sympathy for Sinner and stated his belief that World No. 1 did not intentionally use clostebol.

"Yeah. I think... I feel sorry for Jannik. He's, in my opinion, not done anything intentionally. And, you know, it is not the first time it has happened—but it doesn't happen often—settlements in a doping sentence, which was probably surprising for a few people," Ruud said.

Ruud also noted that it is not uncommon for cases like Sinner's to be resolved before going to trial.

"When you look at the [legal system], it's not unusual that it happens when someone is about to go to trial. I mean, there's many other cases where settlements happened just before a trial. So, my understanding, if I was in Jannik's shoes, of course I would love to have the possibility to defend myself in an open trial, which I'm sure he was going for," he continued.

Casper Ruud expressed sympathy for Sinner, as he would miss out on playing several Masters 1000 tournaments for something he didn't intentionally do.

"So, a settlement of three months—or a suspension of three months—was something that both were happy to do. Still, I feel sorry for Jannik. He will be out, he will miss 4 out of 9 Masters 1000s for something he didn't intentionally do. So I hope he keeps his head high," Ruud said.

Ruud added that he always enjoyed watching Jannik Sinner play and would continue to "root" for him.

"Me personally, I'm always rooting for him. I think it's a joy to watch him play, and I hope the three months go by quickly for him. Yeah, It's just sad for him, and tennis as a sport, when the World No. 1 goes through something like this," he added.

After serving his three-month suspension, Jannik Sinner is expected to make his return to the court at the 2025 Italian Open.

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Casper Ruud will face Aleksandar Vukic or Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez at the 2025 Mexican Open 2R

Casper Ruud at the 2025 Dallas Open [Image Source: Getty Images]

Casper Ruud will take on either Aleksandar Vukic or wild card Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez in the second round of the 2025 Mexican Open. Ruud is seeded second in the tournament and began his campaign by defeating Arthur Rinderknech 6-4, 6-3 in the first round.

Vukic entered the ATP 500 hard-court tournament in Acapulco after competing at the 2025 Delray Beach Open, where he lost in the first round to Yoshihito Nishioka 3-6, 4-6.

Ruud and Vukic have only met once on the ATP Tour, during the second round of the 2024 Shanghai Masters. The Australian emerged victorious with a score of 6-4, 6-4.

On the other hand, Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez has already started his campaign at Acapulco, participating in the doubles qualifiers alongside Federico Agustin Gomez. They managed to defeat the pair of Marcos Giron and Arthur Rinderknech 6-3, 7-6(7) in the first qualifying round.

However, the Rodrigo-Federico duo was unable to secure a spot in the main draw after losing to the American pair of Christian Harrison and Evan King 3-6, 5-7 in the second qualifying round.

The potential match-up between Casper Ruud and Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez in the second round of the 2025 Mexican Open will mark the first time these two players will face each other on the ATP Tour.