Jannik Sinner gets 3-month ban in settlement of doping case

Top-ranked tennis player Jannik Sinner accepted a three-month ban in a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency and said Saturday the agreement ends a case that was "hanging over me" since his two positive doping tests nearly a year ago.

WADA, which was seeking to ban the three-time Grand Slam champion from the sport for at least one year, had challenged a decision last year by the International Tennis Integrity Agency not to suspend Sinner for what the ITIA judged was accidental contamination by a banned anabolic steroid last March.

Sinner's explanation that trace amounts of Clostebol in his doping sample was due to a massage from a trainer who used the substance after cutting his own finger had been accepted.

The timing means the 23-year-old Italian won't miss any Grand Slam tournaments. The French Open, the season's next major, starts May 25.

"This case had been hanging over me now for nearly a year and the process still had a long time to run with a decision maybe only at the end of the year," Sinner, who won the Australian Open in January, said in a statement. "I have always accepted that I am responsible for my team and realize WADA's strict rules are an important protection for the sport I love. On that basis I have accepted WADA's offer to resolve these proceedings on the basis of a three-month sanction."

Sinner's London-based lawyer, Jamie Singer commented: "I am delighted that Jannik can finally put this harrowing experience behind him. WADA has confirmed the facts determined by the Independent Tribunal. It is clear that Jannik had no intent, no knowledge, and gained no competitive advantage. Regrettably, errors made by members of his team led to this situation."

In the singles rankings, Sinner currently leads No. 2 Alexander Zverev by 3,695 points.

Sinner stands to lose 1,600 points due to the ban: 1,000 points from his Miami Open title last March; 400 points from reaching the Monte Carlo Masters semifinals last April; and 200 points from reaching the Madrid Open quarterfinals.

If Zverev wins several titles while Sinner is out, the German could take over the No. 1 ranking.