Jannik Sinner suffers major blow after doping ban as Laureus delivers crucial update on his World Sportsman of the Year nomination

Jannik Sinner recently dealt with a major blow after his nomination for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award was revoked by the organizers. This decision came after Sinner was handed a three-month suspension for doping.

Sinner tested positive for the banned substance clostebol on two occasions during the 2024 Indian Wells Masters. An investigation conducted by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) determined that he was not at fault.

Despite ITIA's findings, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was dissatisfied with the ruling and appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for a ban ranging from one to two years. However, after reviewing Sinner's explanation for the presence of clostebol in his system, WADA settled for a three-month suspension instead of the longer penalties they initially sought.

Jannik Sinner had been nominated for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award following a stellar 2024 season, during which he claimed eight titles, including two Grand Slams - the Australian Open and the US Open.

However, Sean Fitzpatrick, the chairman of the Laureus World Sports Academy, recently announced in a statement that the World No.1's nomination had been withdrawn.

“Following discussions by the Laureus Academy it has been decided that Jannik Sinner’s Nomination for this year’s Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award is to be withdrawn,” Sean Fitzpatrick's statement read.

Fitzpatrick explained that they had closely monitored Sinner's doping case and determined that the three-month ban made him ineligible for the nomination.

“We have followed this case, the decisions of the relevant global bodies and - whilst we note the extenuating circumstances involved - feel that the three-month ban renders the nomination ineligible. Jannik and his team have been informed.” Fitzpatrick added.

Tennis players who have been the recipients of the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award include Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal.

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Before receiving his 3-month doping suspension this year, Jannik Sinner had competed at the 2025 Australian Open

Jannik Sinner with the 2025 Australian Open trophy [Image Source: Getty Images]

Prior to receiving his three-month doping suspension this year, Jannik Sinner had only participated in one tournament, the 2025 Australian Open.

Sinner was the top seed at the Grand Slam and kicked off his campaign by defeating Nicolas Jarry in the first round, followed by a victory over wild card Tristan Schoolkate in the second round.

The World No.1 then went on to triumph over Marcos Giron and 13th seed Holger Rune in the third and fourth rounds, respectively. In the quarterfinals, he overcame eighth seed Alex de Minaur and secured a win in the semifinals against 21st seed Ben Shelton to advance to the final.

In the championship match, Jannik Sinner emerged victorious over second seed Alexander Zverev with a score of 6–3, 7–6(4), 6–3 to defend his title and claim the 2025 Australian Open. This was his second Melbourne Major title and his third Grand Slam title overall.

After serving out his suspension, Sinner is expected to make his comeback at the 2025 Italian Open, a tournament where his best performance was reaching the quarterfinals in 2022.