Why Jannik Sinner accepting WADA deal in doping ban is a bad sign for tennis

Jannik Sinner will be away from tennis for three months after accepting a deal with WADA. This means that there won't be a hearing in front of the Court of Arbitration for Sport which was supposed to happen in April. It was massive news in the world of tennis because it's not great news for tennis overall.

It's a great deal for Sinner, who technically could have been suspended for up to a year if not more if the Court of Arbitration for Sport sided with the World Anti-Doping Agency. He could have also walked free if the court had sided with him but there were no indications what was going to happen.

By taking this deal, Sinner essentially takes control of the situation ensuring that he has a three-month vacation but doesn't suffer massive consequences for what had happened. He won't lose any titles or money and he will be back in time for Roland Garros and Wimbledon which obviously is a huge deal.

The problematic side of this deal is what it means overall for tennis. Players getting suspended for similar instances is nothing new. Simona Halep essentially found herself in the same situation as Sinner but she was never offered a deal. She was handed a massive suspension which was only reduced by the Court of Arbitration for Sport but never fully removed.

Other players like Max Purcell found themselves in similar situations but again were never offered a deal like this. So why did Sinner get a deal? Nobody really knows but plenty have theories. Some theories suggest that the Italian is getting preferential treatment due to the fact that he is the undisputed world number one at this point in time. It's bad for the sport if Sinner misses significant time, monetarily and otherwise.

The accusations of preferential treatment surfaced early in the story especially since he tested positive months before the news become public knowledge. Norm or not, it's tough to say but it certainly created some suspicious around the Tour. Plenty of players talked about it, most notable Nick Kyrgios.

Kyrgios chimed it this time around as well but he's not the only one. Noted veteran and three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka said that he doesn't believe in a clean sport anymore.

"I no longer believe in a clean sport." - Wawrinka's reaction to Sinner's deal.

Nothing about this whole situation has made anyone feel good about the state of tennis. Fans are frustrated and players are frustrated as well because very few understand what actually happened.

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Reactions to Jannik Sinner reaching a settlement with WADA

2025 Australian Open Men's Champion Media Opportunity - Source: Getty

There have been plenty of reactions on Tour about this situation. Some players like Carlos Alcaraz declined to comment much on it, while others like Kyrgios and Wawrinka really spoke their mind. The PTPA also reacted to the deal as it has, as an organization, been very critical of how the WADA does things. The organization had backed Simona Halep against doping claims in the past and now released another statement where it essentially implied that the 'system is not to be trusted'.

“No matter who you root for, several things are now clear. The "system" is not a system. It's a club. Supposed case-by-case discretion is, in fact, merely cover for tailored deals, unfair treatment, and inconsistent rulings." - PTPA Statement

As harsh as that might sound, it's truly like that because this case has been anything but transparent. There is a lot of unknown, both in the timeline of the events and in the way the rules have been applied. The sheer fact that a deal was offered before the appeal hearing breaks most conventions on this matter.

Other players would have certainly loved to get a chance to 'settle' away from the courts as the whole ordeal essentially finished their careers. That won't be the case for those who were first allowed to compete while the investigation was going on and won't even face any harsh consequences.

Missing three months is nothing major considering they will be back for the major tournaments, conveniently so. More reactions by fellow players are expected in the coming days when most of them will hold press conferences. As it's the end of the week, very few of them are in action.

The Qatar Open is coming up where certain players will certainly get these questions. It will be interesting to see what the biggest names in the sport have to say about it, though some have expressed doubt in the credibility of the system. This is just a PR disaster for the association.