Jannik Sinner's case was a million
miles away from doping, World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) General
Counsel Ross Wenzel told BBC Sport on Tuesday.
The men's tennis world number one was handed an immediate
three-month ban by Wada on Saturday after reaching a deal over
his two positive doping tests last year.
Wenzel denied allegations of special treatment and told the BBC
that the terms of the ban, which some have claimed will have
little impact on Sinner, were appropriate for the case and not
taken with the tennis calendar in mind.
Sinner's suspension kicked off on February 9 and runs until May
4, on time for him to take part in the French Open on May 25,
the next Grand Slam tournament.
Sinner, 23, was cleared of any wrongdoing by an independent
panel after testing positive for banned substance clostebol in
March 2024.
Wada had asked for a ban of up to two years after filing an
appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) following a
decision by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA)
not to suspend Sinner.
However, a deal was reached after Wada acknowledged that the
Italian player "did not intend to cheat".
Sinner has said that he was inadvertently contaminated by his
physiotherapist, who was treating a cut on his hand with an
over-the-counter spray later found to contain the banned
substance.
However, some in the tennis world have questioned the length of
the ban and the deal.
In particular, 24-time Slam winner Novak Djokovic blasted the
fairness of the process, claiming high-profile players are
favoured.
But Wenzel told BBC Sport that "this was a case that was a
million miles away from doping" and "the scientific feedback
that we received was that this could not be a case of
intentional doping, including micro-dosing".
"When we look at these cases we try to look at them technically,
operationally and we don't do it with fear of what the public
and the politicians or anyone is going to say", the official
also told BBC Sport.
Wenzel also said sanctions are blind to the calendar.
"The sanctions that we impose and the code even says this,
they're blind to the calendar.
"The correct sanction should be imposed and it comes into effect
when it comes into effect and it shouldn't be modulated or
modified to take into account whether the events that are coming
up are significant or not significant", he was also quoted as
saying.
Wenzel said Wada introduced the possibility of a case resolution
agreement in 2021, which allowed deals with athletes.
Since adding that measure to Wada's rules, Wenzel said
approximately 67 resolution agreements have come into force.
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