Jannik Sinner stunned the tennis world when he agreed to a shortened three-month doping ban in a compromise deal with the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) on Saturday.
The men’s world No.1 failed two anti-doping tests for the banned substance clostebol last March but was initially cleared of wrongdoing by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) after giving evidence to prove he had been contaminated by his physiotherapist.
But after Wada appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas), the parties have struck a deal over a three-month ban to avoid the upcoming Cas hearing.
Sinner has accepted his ban following a dominant display to win the Australian Open last month, his third Grand Slam victory of his career, but he now faces a backlash from the tennis world.
“Bad day for tennis,” said rival Nick Kyrgios, while Stanislas Wawrinka added: “I don’t believe in a clean sport anymore.” But when can Sinner return to the court with his win in Melbourne setting him up for a run at the calendar slam:
When does Sinner’s ban start and when can he return?
“Mr Sinner will serve his period of ineligibility from 9 February 2025 to 11:59 pm on 4 May 2025,” Wada said in a statement.
Sinner has not played since the Australian Open final, where he dispatched Alex Zverev in straight sets.
Sinner will be eligible to play in the second Grand Slam of the season at Roland Garros in the French Open, which starts 25 May, with the men’s final on 8 June.
Sinner will miss a number of tournaments on the ATP Tour, though, compromising his form and momentum for the clay court season and attempt to win a maiden French Open title after dropping a five-set classic against Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals last year, with the Spaniard eventually claiming the title.
Sinner will miss a number of high-profile tournaments, including ATP 1000 events: BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells (5-16 March) and the Miami Open (19-30 March) on hard court, with ATP 1000 clay court events Monte-Carlo Masters (6-13 April) and Madrid Open (23 April to 4 May).
Sinner’s first match back could be at the Italian Open in Rome, an ATP Masters 1000 event on clay, a tournament he withdrew from last year, citing a hip injury.
Further opportunities on clay come at the Hamburg Open or Geneva Open, both events start on 18 May as a tune-up for players before Roland Garros gets underway a week later.
