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MILAN:Jannik Sinner’s long doping saga came to an end on Saturday after he agreed to a three-month ban from tennis, the world number admitting “partial responsibility” for team mistakes which led to him twice testing positive for traces of clostebol in March last year.
The February 9 to May 4 suspension means Sinner will be free to play in the French Open, the second Grand Slam of the season, which begins on May 25 at Roland Garros.
In a statement, Sinner said that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accepted that he “had no intent and did not derive any competitive advantage from the two positive tests” of the banned substance.
Australian Open champion Sinner has always said that clostebol entered his system when his physiotherapist used a spray containing it to treat a cut before providing a massage and sports therapy.
“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 said.
“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.”
WADA said separately that “Sinner did not intend to cheat” but that he would serve his suspension as he is responsible for the actions of his entourage.
Sport’s global doping watchdog confirmed it was withdrawing its appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which was due to hear the case in April.
The agreement between Sinner and WADA also means that Sinner will be able to play in front of his home fans at the Rome Open which kicks off just after the end of his suspension and is the last big clay court tournament before Roland Garros.
Saturday’s announcement brings to an end a controversy which has followed Sinner everywhere just as he rose to became the top player in men’s tennis and a multiple Slam winner.


Sinner was facing a potential ban of two years after WADA appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against his initial exoneration by the International Tennis Integrity Agency, announced in August.
The positive tests were not intially made public while the ITIA investigation was ongoing and Sinner had been allowed to carry on playing after successfully appealing provisional suspensions.
“We were satisfied that the player had established the source of the prohibited substance and that the breach was unintentional. Today’s outcome supports this finding,” said the ITIA on Saturday.
The ITIA’s initial ruling caused uproar among a section of the men’s tour, with outspoken Australian player Nick Kyrgios calling it “ridiculous” and pouring scorn on Sinner’s explanation for the contamination.
It was made public just days before last year’s US Open, which Sinner subsequently won to claim his second Grand Slam after breaking his major tournament duck at the previous Australian Open.
Sinner then successfully defended his title at Melbourne Park last month, becoming just the fourth man to do so since the turn of the century alongside tennis icons Andre Agassi, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
By that point he had confirmed his status as national hero in Italy by winning the ATP Finals in Turin and then starring in his country’s second straight Davis Cup triumph.
Sinner had previously been viewed with some suspicion in the Mediterranean nation due his origins in the German-speaking areas of the South Tyrol and residence in Monaco, which led to local media and former tennis players casting doubt on whether he was Italian at all.
But he is now Italy’s biggest sports star after surging to the top of the sport ahead of Spain’s golden boy Carlos Alcaraz, himself a four-time Slam champion at the age of 21.

RIYADH: Al-Hilal drew 1-1 with Al-Riyadh on Friday to slump to a second successive draw and lose ground on Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League.

Just six days after drawing 2-2 with Damac, the champions could not find a way to victory and they could fall four points behind Al-Ittihad if the Tigers win on Saturday.

It could have been worse as Al-Hilal could have been more than one goal down at the break.

Mohamed Konate hit the back of the net after 24 minutes. Sekou Lega swung over a beautiful cross from the left and Konate rose high in the area to head past Yassine Bounou. The effort, however, was ruled out for offside.

Konate did net in first-half added time, though, to give the visitors the lead. He ran onto a long ball, chested the ball down on the edge of the penalty area, and then lifted his shot into the back of the net with the classiest of finishes.

Al-Hilal’s players trudged off at the break with manager Jorge Jesus looking less than impressed.

The second half proved better for the hosts but Al-Riyadh had the ball in the net again just before the hour. This time it was Lega who finished smartly in the area but, once more, VAR intervened and it was no goal.

Just moments later, Al-Hilal were level with the sweetest of strikes. Marcos Leonardo’s defense-splitting pass found Salem Al-Dawsari arriving from the left and the winger took one touch inside the area and then slipped the ball past the goalkeeper with ease.

There was more pressure from the home team but they could not quite find the all-important winning goal.

Chances were missed but the home team seemed to have been given a route to victory when Abdulelah Al-Khaibari was ruled to have handled in the box. Referee Ivan Barton pointed to the spot but his decision was reversed following a VAR review.

That was that and Al-Hilal’s mini-slump continued.