Jannik Sinner makes honest admission about how pending CAS hearing in doping row is impacting him mentally

World No. 1 and reigning Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner is heading into the year's first Grand Slam amid his ongoing doping controversy. The World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA's) appeal seeking a 1-2 year ban on him is expected to be heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) later this year, even though the exact dates are yet to be confirmed.

Amid the doping row, which has polarized tennis fans, Sinner spoke with reporters in Melbourne at a press conference ahead of the 2025 Australian Open. The Italian was asked if he had received some clarity regarding the impending CAS hearing. Sinner expressed that he is still very much in the dark about what's to come, but he suggested that thoughts about the hearing have been on his mind.

"Yeah, I know exactly as much as you guys know. We are in a stage where we don't know many, many things. Yeah, you think about this, of course. I would lie if I would tell you I forget. No, it's not like this. It's something what I have with me now already for quite a long time," Sinner said.

The World No. 1 though, laid bare his acceptance of the situation ahead of his title defense at the 2025 Australian Open. Jannik Sinner won his maiden Grand Slam title at the hardcourt Major last year, remarkably coming back from the brink of defeat in the final to clinch a five-set thriller against Daniil Medvedev.

"But it is what it is. I'm here trying to prepare the Grand Slam. Let's see how it goes," Sinner added.

The Italian's immediate future on the ATP Tour hangs in the balance, as CAS' decision would have the power to overrule the outcome of the initial investigations conducted by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) and then by an ITIA-backed independent tribunal. According to the ITIA's ruling, Sinner himself was not to blame for his exposure to the banned substance, Clostebol.

Worryingly for Sinner though, the ITIA CEO recently suggested that the World No. 1 is likely to face a lengthy ban if he is found guilty at the CAS hearing.

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"Complication with the Jannik Sinner case is the positive test was not a result of a contaminated product" - ITIA CEO Karen Moorhouse

Jannik Sinner (Source: Getty)

Karen Moorhouse, the CEO of ITIA, recently gave an explanation to Tennis365 regarding the potential outcome of CAS' hearing of WADA's appeal against Jannik Sinner's continued participation on the ATP Tour.

Through the explanation, Moorhouse pointed out the difference between the Italian's case and that of former WTA World No. 1's Iga Swiatek's doping row. Swiatek had tested positive for Trimetazidine (TMZ) and was later given a one-month ban. The Pole proved that her TMZ exposure was the result of consuming a contaminated batch of supplements intended to improve sleep.

On the other hand, the source of Clostebol in Sinner's case was not a contaminated product. Instead, Clostebol was one of the listed ingredients of the product. According to Moorhouse, this difference may prove telling in terms of the punishment ultimately given to Sinner, if any.

"In relation to Swiatek, the contaminated product was a medication. So it was not unreasonable for a player to assume that a regulated medication would contain what it says on the ingredients. The complication with the Sinner case is the positive test was not a result of a contaminated product. And so because it is not a contaminated product, the range for a sanction is one year to two years," Moorhouse said.

Jannik Sinner's next on-court outing will come in the first round of the 2025 Australian Open against Nicolas Jarry on Monday, January 13.