"I thought it was over" - Jannik Sinner restates dismay at WADA appeal over his doping case, says it's 'not a situation he's comfortable in'

Jannik Sinner recently reiterated just how distressed he has been following WADA's appeal to the Court of Arbitration (CAS) over his doping case, which saw him avoid a ban despite testing positive for Clostebol twice in March. The World No. 1 also denied any wrongdoing on his part and claimed that getting a ban would be surprising for him.

In August, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) revealed that Sinner had tested positive for Clostebol five months prior. The Italian successfully contested the potential ban though, stating accidental contamination via his former physio Giacomo Naldi, which led to a "no fault or negligence" decision in his favor.

However, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed to CAS last week in a bid to impose a ban on Jannik Sinner. The organization maintained that the 23-year-old being cleared from his doping case wasn't "correct under the applicable rules" while asking for a ban from one to two years.

The two-time Major winner, meanwhile, will be eager to put the above controversy behind him at the Shanghai Masters this fortnight. During a pre-tournament press conference, he was asked whether WADA's recent appeal had contributed to his three-set final defeat to Carlos Alcaraz at the recently concluded China Open.

In response, Jannik Sinner said he had previously expressed his thoughts on the topic while talking to the media in Beijing last week. The Italian disclosed that while he didn't feel "comfortable" with the ongoing case, but said that it did not factor in his loss to the Spaniard.

"Yeah, you know, I already answered this in Beijing about the appeal, that I'm a bit surprised, and, you know, but in another way I knew that there is potentially that this could happen," Jannik Sinner said during his pre-tournament presser in Shanghai. "It happened, I'm still surprised, but I will collaborate like I did before."

"But I'm very confident that it comes out very positively, or I would be very, very surprised if it would be the opposite side.You know, it's not a situation where I feel comfortable in, that's for sure, because I thought it was over, and now once again, so it's not easy. Talking about the match there, you know, this can happen.. it can go his way, can go my way, and in the end it went his way."

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Jannik Sinner commented on WADA's appeal during his China Open campaign: "I was not expecting it"

Jannik Sinner looks on at China Open 2024

Jannik Sinner had mentioned during a press conference at the China Open last month, that he found WADA appealing for his ban to the CAS 'surprising', considering he had collaborated with an independent tribunal convened by the ITIA and had initially gotten his name cleared from the doping case.

I'm very disappointed and also surprised of this appeal, to be honest, because we had three hearings. All three hearings came out very positively for me. You know, I was not expecting it," Jannik Sinner said in Beijing. "I knew it a couple of days ago, that they were going to appeal, that today it's going to go official."

Sinner started his Shanghai Masters campaign on a fine note on Saturday (October 10). Having received a first-round Bye, the Italian took down Japan's Taro Daniel 6-1, 6-4 to reach the third round.

He will next face 31st-seeded Tomas Martin Etcheverry on October 6 for a place in the Round of 16 at the Masters-level event.