Jannik Sinner faces an anxious wait to discover if he will be banned for up to two years.
Jannik Sinner faces an anxious wait to discover if he will be banned from tennis (Image: GETTY)
Jannik Sinner may be banned from playing at Wimbledon next year if he is hit with a suspension following an appeal from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), according to reports.
The 23-year-old tested positive for clostebol, a banned anabolic steroid, in March but an independent panel accepted his explanation that it entered his body from a massage with his physio, who had used it to treat a cut on his own finger.
WADA have appealed the decision to clear Sinner, calling for the Italian to be handed a suspension of up to two years. They are not seeking disqualification of any results, though, meaning Sinner would keep all of the titles he won in 2024.
The hearing is not expected to take place before February, according to Tennis365, which will allow Sinner to play at the Australian Open in January.
However, there is a possibility that he will be banned from the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open, which would see him tumble down the rankings due to inactivity.
It remains to be seen if the WADA appeal will be successful, with the case set to be heard before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) at some point before the French Open gets underway in June.
Sinner will be hopeful of avoiding a ban following comments made by WADA director general Oliver Niggli, who suggested the increased number of high-profile cases may be down to improvements in testing, rather than a major doping problem in tennis.
