“Jannik Sinner’s Doping Scandal Appeal is ‘Sending Shockwaves’ Through Tennis – Former No. 1 Reacts!”

Former doubles star Paul McNamee claims the news of WADA’s appeal in Jannik Sinner’s doping case is “sending shockwaves” through the tennis world.

On Saturday, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced it was appealing the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s (ITIA) decision regarding Sinner. The current world No. 1 tested positive for the banned steroid clostebol twice in March but was cleared of “fault or negligence” after arguing he was unintentionally contaminated by his physio, Giacomo Naldi.

Although Sinner was stripped of his Indian Wells prize money and ranking points — with the first positive test occurring midway through the Masters 1000 event — he faced no further punishment. The ruling was made public last month, a day after Sinner’s victory at the Cincinnati Open and just weeks before he claimed his second major title at the US Open.

McNamee, a former doubles world No. 1, five-time Grand Slam champion, and long-time coach of Hsieh Su-Wei, was among the first to react to the news. Taking to Twitter/X, he described WADA’s appeal as “a very big call.”

“Gee, that’s sending shockwaves through tennis,” McNamee wrote. “WADA is appealing the ITIA decision to the Court of Arbitration of Sport in the Jannik Sinner case…. that’s a very big call, and I wasn’t expecting that.”

In a statement released Saturday morning, WADA confirmed it had submitted its appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on September 26th. The agency is pushing for a suspension of one to two years for the 23-year-old Italian, disputing the ITIA’s ruling of “no fault or negligence.”

WADA’s statement read: “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.”

WADA also clarified that it is not seeking further disqualification of Sinner’s results beyond what has already been imposed, and stated, “As this matter is now pending before CAS, WADA will make no further comment at this time.”

There is no set timeline for CAS to issue a final ruling on the case. Meanwhile, Sinner is currently defending his title at the China Open in Beijing, where he was playing a second-round match against Roman Safiullin when WADA’s announcement was made.