The tennis world has been buzzing with doping controversies lately. From top-ranked stars like Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek to lower-ranked players like Nicolas Jarry, several players have found themselves under the ITF’s microscope. But despite all being cleared of intentional wrongdoing due to contamination, their punishments have varied drastically. Sinner is serving a three-month suspension, Swiatek was sidelined for just a month, and Jarry had to sit out for a staggering 11 months. Naturally, Jarry has spoken out, expressing his frustration at the disparity. “I would have liked the same support,” said the Chilean, who feels he was treated unfairly. Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka is one of the loudest voices questioning the fairness of doping cases.
Many in the tennis community share his concerns. The Swiss tennis star took to social media to express his disillusionment, writing that he no longer “believes in a clean sport anymore.”
The doping saga began in August 2024, when the ITF initially cleared Sinner. But then, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) stepped in and appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Just as the hearing was approaching in April, a surprise twist came on February 9—Sinner and WADA reached a settlement, resulting in a three-month suspension. This agreement has sparked accusations of favoritism, with many questioning whether all players are held to the same standard.
The reaction from the tennis community has been divided. Some players, like Nick Kyrgios, called the handling of the case a “joke.” Others, like Casper Ruud, defended Sinner, believing the Italian had done nothing wrong. But Wawrinka, speaking at an ATP Challenger event in Naples, Italy, gave more insight into his stance. “It’s a difficult topic, it’s not easy to explain everything in detail,” he said. “Many things have happened in tennis, men’s and women’s, in recent years, and our sport has not given a good image. I hope the situation improves,” the 39-year-old said.
Transparency is at the heart of Wawrinka’s frustration. He said, “If you look at the last year, two number 1s tested positive. And we players only found out about it several months later. What we ask for is total transparency, and I hope that things will improve for tennis, that they will move forward in a different way. At the end of the day, we only hope for great matches and we don’t want to see anyone out of our sport, let alone the number 1 in the world. We want transparency; that’s all that matters.”
If you look at the timeline, Jannik Sinner tested positive in March 2024, during the Indian Wells tournament; however, the information was only made public in August. Similarly, in Iga Swiatek’s case, she tested positive in August 2024, but her test result was revealed in late November. In contrast, Simona Halep’s positive doping test result for Roxadustat at the 2022 US Open was revealed immediately after the test.
Adding fuel to the fire is the recent lawsuit filed by the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), which has questioned the biased treatment of the cases.
Jannik Sinner named in PTPA’s controversial lawsuit
On March 18, the PTPA, co-founded by Novak Djokovic, took legal action against ATP, WTA, ITIA, and ITF, citing “draconian” and “abusive” practices. Jannik Sinner’s case was mentioned as an example of inconsistent treatment, with the PTPA alleging, “Unlike its dogged pursuit of other players, however, it accepted Sinner’s explanation..”
The lawsuit called the proceedings “arbitrary” and “selective” and also highlighted another controversial case: that of Argentinian tennis player Marco Trungelliti. Unlike Sinner, Trungelliti didn’t receive widespread support after reporting match-fixing approaches in 2015. Instead, he faced backlash, even receiving “death threats” from fans. By 2023, he admitted the situation had become “mentally rough” and made it hard to continue his career. The PTPA argues that tennis governing bodies failed to protect Trungelliti while seemingly going out of their way to defend the World No.1.
Novak Djokovic had himself questioned the treatment of the case before. After Sinner’s 3-month suspension was announced, the 24-time Grand Slam champion said, “It’s not a good image for our sport, that’s for sure. The majority of the players feel like there is favouritism happening. It seems like it appears that you can almost affect the outcome if you are a top player, if you have access to the top lawyers and whatnot.”
For now, Sinner will remain sidelined until May 4, with his highly anticipated return expected at the Italian Open on May 9. But with players demanding more transparency and fairness, the controversy isn’t likely to fade anytime soon. Will tennis governing bodies finally address these concerns, or will the debate over fairness in doping cases continue?
The post “Our Sport Has Not Given a Good Image,” Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek’s Doping Controversies Receive Brutal Reality Check From Swiss Tennis Legend appeared first on EssentiallySports.