"We cannot control everything": Jannik Sinner 'disappointed' after WADA appeals against ITIA's verdict in doping case

Italy’s young tennis star Jannik Sinner has expressed disappointment after hearing the news that WADA has decided to appeal against his doping verdict. The 23-year-old is already regarded as one of the best players currently playing in men’s tennis in the singles category, along with the likes of Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz and Serbia’s Novak Djokovic.

Sinner has been in the news for the wrong reasons recently after he tested positive for the banned substance clostebol in two doping tests. Despite the results, he narrowly managed to escape the ban after the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) accepted his counsel’s response where they claimed that the availability of the banned substance in minimal quantity in the player’s sample was because of receiving a cream from a member of the coaching staff.

On Saturday, it was reported that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) had decided to appeal against the verdict. They issued a statement demanding a one—or two-year suspension for the reigning world number one from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

“The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) confirms that on Thursday 26 September, it lodged an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in the case of Italian tennis player, Jannik Sinner, who was found by an independent tribunal of the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) to bear no fault or negligence having twice tested positive for clostebol, a prohibited substance, in March 2024,” the statement read.

Sinner, who is currently participating in the China Open, talked to the media after cementing his spot in the quarterfinal. He expressed disappointment after hearing the news that WADA had decided to appeal against the verdict.

“Well, we cannot control everything, no? Obviously I'm very disappointed and also surprised of this appeal, to be honest, because we had three hearings. All three hearings came out very positively for me,” he said. “You know, I was not expecting it. I knew it a couple of days ago, that they were going to appeal, that today it's going to go official, so. But yeah, it's surprise. We always talk about the same thing. Maybe they just want to make sure that everything is in the right position. Yeah, I'm just surprised that they appealed.”