Will 2024 be remembered as the year Jannik Sinner had one of the greatest seasons ever or for the doping asterisk attached to his results? The jury is, literally, still out.
On Sunday, Sinner won back-to-back Davis Cup titles for Italy, after a one-sided final against the Netherlands. But Sinner admitted he was still burdened by an upcoming appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) which could see him banned from tennis for up to two years.
“Of course, it’s a little bit in the head,” Sinner said when asked if he could fully enjoy Sunday’s victory. “For me, the most important thing is that everyone who knows me as a human being trusts me, right? This is also the reason why I continued to play at the level I had. I had my ups and downs, and I was a little emotionally heartbroken, but sometimes life gives you challenges and you just have to accept them.
In addition to the Davis Cup, Sinner has won eight individual titles this year, including his first two Grand Slam tournaments in Melbourne And new York and the ATP Finals. He finished world number 1 at the end of the year with a 73-6 win-loss record, the first player since Andy Murray in 2016 to record more than 70 wins in a season. That’s a far cry from the 80+ wins that the “Big Three” have all achieved at least once in their careers, but it’s still remarkable considering Sinner is only 23 years old.
In August, the world was shocked by the news that Sinner had tested positive for clostebol, a banned anabolic steroid, twice in March, and that the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) had already concluded that he bore “no fault or negligence”. The ITIA accepted Sinner’s version of events, that his physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi had inadvertently massaged a healing spray containing clostebol into his skin. A member of the ITIA tribunal said that due to the “minute” amounts found in Sinner’s system, it would not have had “relevant doping or performance-enhancing effects” on his body.
That very well could have been it. But just over a month later, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) launched a shake-up: it appealed the ITIA’s “no fault or negligence” decision via CAS and requested a ban ” between one and two years. This appeal has not yet been heard and is not expected to be heard until next year. This means that a dark, unresolved cloud continues to dull Sinner’s shine.
The game’s skeptics have made themselves heard. Some have questioned why the positive tests were only made public by the ITIA after the fact – including Nick Kyrgios and Tallon Griekspoor, Sinner’s opponent on Sunday night. Dutch captain Paul Haarhuis put it succinctly when asked about the WADA case after the final: “We never know what happened. »
There has been no suggestion that Sinner’s results should be disqualified, but if WADA’s appeal is upheld by CAS, a ban could significantly derail his career and would inevitably impact the fascinating three-pronged rivalry between him , Carlos Alcaraz, 21, and veteran Novak Djokovic.
The sinner’s reputation is at stake
This Davis Cup is further proof of how Sinner has established himself as the man to beat, operating at an almost unstoppable level since August, winning 29 of his last 30 singles matches.
It was always going to be an uphill battle for Griekspoor, who had already suffered three defeats against Sinner this season. He fought back, just as his Dutch team, finalists for the first time, had done all week – even beating Spain in the quarter-finals to send Rafael Nadal to retirement. But their underdog story failed after Matteo Berrettini demolished Botic van de Zandschulp 6-4 6-2, then Sinner’s punishing racket delivered a blistering ace to seal a 7-6, 6-2 victory over Griekspoor.
Sinner then raised his arms in victory with a wan smile and, as his teammates jumped onto the field in celebration, he calmly shook hands with everyone on the losing team. This quiet humility has contributed to his reputation as a quiet star of the sport. Whether that reputation will survive a prolonged doping ban is still in play.
