Less than a month after defending his title at the Australian Open, men's tennis world No. 1 Sinner is once again in the spotlight of tennis. A week ago, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced a settlement with Sinner, with the Italian receiving a three-month ban for violating anti-doping regulations last March. The controversial settlement has sparked accusations of favoritism and shaken some players' confidence in fair play. To get the inside scoop, BBC Sport interviewed key people involved in the case.

Sinner defended his title at this year's Australian Open

Photo: Visual China

Just over a week ago, Sinner was training in Doha to prepare for the competition, but he knew things could change quickly. Late at night on Feb. 14, Sinner's lawyer, Jamie Singer, had a lengthy phone call with WADA's most senior lawyer. Early the next morning, the shocking news came that Sinner had reached a settlement agreement with WADA, and the world number one had accepted a three-month ban with immediate effect.

A "settlement agreement" is a special mechanism that has been in place for the past four years and allows players and institutions to reach an agreement to bring about the conclusion of a doping case. Ross Wenzel, WADA's general counsel, said WADA has reached 67 agreements since the mechanism was introduced in 2021.

World No. 1 Sinner has been banned for three months

Photo: Visual China

So why is WADA willing to give Sinner a three-month suspension? "This case is far from intentional doping, and the scientific feedback we received was that it could not have been a case of intentional doping, including de minimis doping," said Ross Wenzel. ”

As the time for the hearing drew closer, WADA twice proposed to Sinner's team to reach a settlement agreement. The first attempt was denied because Sinner's team wanted to submit a complete defense first. The defence was presented on January 31 and in early February, after WADA made its second proposal, the parties began their first "substantive discussions".

How do you convince Sinner to accept a ban that he thinks he is innocent of? Jamie Singh said to Sinner: "My advice is 'No one knows what's going to happen at the hearing, we know WADA is fighting for a one-year ban, and if we don't accept their offer, then they're going to go to court for a one-year ban, who knows what those three judges will do?'" So in my opinion, the possibility of a three-month ban is a good option. ”

Swiatek was banned for one month in September last year

Photo: Visual China

Some of the top players still believe that Sinner gets "special treatment" because of his status. Both the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) and WADA have categorically denied this claim. But it's clear that both Sinner and Swiatek (who was banned for a month last year for testing positive for trimetazidine) have benefited from the ability to hire top lawyers to act quickly.

Jamie Singh said he believes the case was resolved quickly because of an "unusual" legal strategy. "From the very beginning (Yannick) did not question the scientific test results, did not question the testing process, did not question the rules. He admits that even if it's just a tiny amount – a billionth of a gram – he is responsible for what is inside him. We only focus on the evidence of what actually happened, and when we do, we are able to deal with the case very quickly and prove what happened very reasonably. ”

The three-month ban means Sinner will still be able to make it in time for the Rome Masters in his native Italy and the next Grand Slam tournament, the French Open. Many people criticized this, saying that it was quite a "coincidence". When asked directly why the agreement was reached now, Ross Wenzel insisted that it was not a decision made with the tennis schedule in mind: "Due to the timing of the proceedings of the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the case happened to be decided on February 14 or 15, that is, last Friday, which was a very late night, and the ban took effect immediately, so that's the timing. ”

Another point of discussion was why Sinner's former physiotherapist, Giacomo Naldi, and strength and conditioning coach Umberto Ferrara were not punished in any way. Both claimed responsibility for closstib's entry into the players. *The Tribunal found that neither Nardi nor Ferrara intentionally violated the anti-doping rules. Sinner has since parted ways with Naldi and Ferrara, who is currently working on the team of another Italian player, Berrettini.

Nardi (4th from right), Ferrara (1st from left)

Picture: Sinner Social Media

Sinner could return to action as early as May 5 – just days before the Rome Masters kick off. From now until April 13, Sinner can train at a private base, but he is not allowed to come into contact with other professional fighters and he can start his "official training activities" from April 13. Since the news of his ban broke a week ago, according to a member of his team, Sinner has been "resting" and he is assessing the current situation. If Sinner returns at the Rome Masters, he is likely to be greeted heroically by his hometown fans.

WADA believes that Sinner's case shows that the system is working, but it cannot avoid the fact that while everyone involved may insist that the case was handled in strict accordance with the rules, it has left some people very uneasy, leading some to believe that the anti-doping system lacks "transparency", "procedural norms" and "consistency". The aftermath and repercussions of this incident are likely to continue to haunt tennis this season.

(Compiled from BBC, Editor/Faye Wong)