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Carlos Alcaraz has given his reaction to the news of Jannik Sinner’s ban from tennis for his failed doping tests in 2024.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced in August that Sinner was free to play as he carried “no fault or negligence” after testing positive for the anabolic steroid clostebol twice in March.

An independent tribunal accepted Sinner’s explanation that the substance had entered his body when receiving a massage from his former physio, Giacomo Naldi, who had used a spray containing the steroid to treat a cut on his finger.

In September, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over the verdict, seeking to impose a ban of between one and two years on the world No 1.

The appeal was set to be heard in April, but WADA revealed on Saturday that it had reached an agreement with Sinner’s legal team for the Italian to serve a suspension from February 9 to May 4.

Sinner was due to play for the first time since winning the 2025 Australian Open at the ATP 500 tournament in Doha, which will begin on February 17. However, the three-time Grand Slam winner has been forced to withdraw due to the ban.

Alcaraz, who will be the top seed at the Qatar Open in Sinner’s absence, was asked about his rival being banned from the tour.

“As for the sanction, there is little to say,” the world No 3 said in an interview with AS.

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“Whether Jannik plays or not, we try to do well in every tournament because number one is an objective.

“Right now, as always, we are trying to focus on what we have to train, on what we have to improve, and from there we are going to do our best in the tournaments to try to get closer to number one.”

In a statement announcing the news, WADA said: “The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) confirms that it has entered into a case resolution agreement in the case of Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner, with the player accepting a three-month period of ineligibility for an anti-doping rule violation that led to him testing positive for clostebol, a prohibited substance, in March 2024.

“In September, WADA lodged an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in the case of Mr. Sinner, who had been found by an Independent Tribunal to bear no fault or negligence.

“Notwithstanding this appeal, the circumstances surrounding this specific case meant that in order to ensure a fair and appropriate outcome, WADA was prepared to enter into a settlement agreement, in accordance with Article 10.8.2 of the World Anti-Doping Code.

“WADA accepts the athlete’s explanation for the cause of the violation as outlined in the first instance decision. WADA accepts that Mr. Sinner did not intend to cheat, and that his exposure to clostebol did not provide any performance-enhancing benefit and took place without his knowledge as the result of negligence of members of his entourage.

“However, under the Code and by virtue of CAS precedent, an athlete bears responsibility for the entourage’s negligence. Based on the unique set of facts of this case, a three-month suspension is deemed to be an appropriate outcome. As previously stated, WADA did not seek a disqualification of any results, save that which was previously imposed by the tribunal of first instance.

“The International Tennis Federation and International Tennis Integrity Agency, both co-respondents to WADA’s CAS appeal, neither of which appealed the first-instance decision, both accepted the case resolution agreement.

“Under the terms of the agreement, Mr. Sinner will serve his period of ineligibility from 9 February 2025 to 11:59 pm on 4 May 2025 (which includes a credit for four days previously served by the athlete while he was under a provisional suspension). As per the Code Article 10.14.2, Mr. Sinner may return to official training activity from 13 April 2025.

“In light of the case resolution agreement, WADA has formally withdrawn its appeal to CAS.”

READ NEXT: Nick Kyrgios opens fire on Jannik Sinner after doping ‘deal’ as Tim Henman voices concern

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Emma Raducanu has taken a wildcard into the Dubai Tennis Championships – and the reaction on social media has been predictably negative.

Raducanu‘s use of wildcards have often been criticised by those on social media, as they suggest she is keen to take a backdoor route back to the top of the game by using her status as a Grand Slam champion to get entries into big tournaments.

The 2021 US Open champion has taken 13 wildcards into main draws of high-profile tournaments since she returned from a long injury lay-off at the start of 2024.

She has experienced mixed success over that time, but long periods away from the court also added to the chorus of criticism around her.

Yet any suggestion that Raducanu wanted to be a “part-time” tennis player has been banished in recent weeks, with her tournament schedule stepped up at the start of this year.

She played at the Australian Open and backed that up with appearances in tournaments in Singapore, Abu Dhabi and Doha.

While she lost in the first round of those three events, her active schedule is evidence of a change of approach for Raducanu, who admitted last year that she would ‘never’ play a full schedule.

That stance was changed in the final months of last season and now she is trying to play more tournaments and get herself into match shape for the challenges presented on the WTA Tour.

Yet such is the negativity that follows Raducanu’s every decision, it is no surprise to see her vocal critics spouting their familiar negativity at this latest wildcard move.

Several snipes on social media have suggested she should not be handed any more wildcards, while others sniped she had shown her reluctance to play in lower-ranked tournaments was highlighted by her eagerness to take centre stage at another WTA 1000 event.

In the opinion of former British No 1 Tim Henman, Raducanu is doing the right thing by playing as many events as possible, as he argues her ability will shine through if she spends more time on the court.

“If she can stay healthy and competes a lot, the results will come because she’s that good,” said Sky Sports Tennis analyst Henman.

“If she wasn’t good enough, you’d say she has to pick her tournaments and play some weaker events. With Emma, if she stays healthy, I’m convinced the results will follow.

“I never thought it was about her level. When she has played, her level has always been very good, but if you look at the breakdown of her ranking last year, I think she played 33 matches and 11 of them were on grass.

“When you look at the other 10 months of the year, to have only played 22 matches is so few. She is aware of that, I’m sure, and she will get a coach at the right moment, but for me, the physical work she is doing is most significant.

“I’ve always been a big, big advocate of playing matches. I always played a lot of matches and Emma is right to do that now.”

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The social media snipers who appear to delight at Raducanu’s failings are never far away and according to former WTA Tour player Naomi Broady, her critics are misguided.

“People who have that attitude and say Emma got lucky when we won the US Open don’t understand tennis,” Broady told Tennis365 in an exclusive interview. “You hear them say she is a one-Slam wonder and it was a fluke that she won the US Open.

“If you understand tennis, you will know that is not possible. You can’t come through qualifying, win seven matches without dropping a set and win a Grand Slam by luck.

“She has the level and she needs to get back there and it’s incredibly difficult not to look at those articles online and get dragged into the negativity.

“Hopefully the team around her will help with that and that may be why over the last year or two she has made that close circle much smaller. She needs that protection around her.”

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One 16-year-old, one 17-year-old and five 18-year-olds feature on the list of seven youngest ATP singles title winners.

Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca is one win away from joining a list of young players to win an ATP Tour title before turning 19.

Aged 18 years, five months and 26 days on the day of the final, Fonseca will become the seventh youngest player to win a singles trophy since the inception of the ATP Tour in 1990 if he beats Francisco Cerundolo in the Argentina capital.

But for now, the great Pete Sampras sits in seventh place while in terms of the Open Era record, Aaron Krickstein’s holds the record as he was 16 years and two months when he won in Tel Aviv in 1983 while Michael Chang was 16 years and seven months when he lifted the San Francisco trophy in 1988.

The 7 youngest ATP Tour title winners:

7. Pete Sampras – 18 years, 6 months, 7 days – Philadelphia 1990

All-time great Pete Sampras lifted his maiden ATP Tour trophy only two years after he turned professional as he won the US Pro Indoor title.

The 18-year-old, who was seeded 13th for the American event, defeated compatriot Andre Agassi in the third round, fifth seed Tim Mayotte in the last eight and Australian qualifier Mark Kratzmann in the semi-final before getting the better of seventh seed Andres Gomez 7-6 (7-4), 7-5, 6-2 in the final.

“Of all the young Americans, even the likes of Agassi and [Michael] Chang, I’d have to say he is the best one because his all-round game is so strong,” Gomez said of the teenager.

And he was proven to be right as Sampras went on to win 14 Grand Slam titles.

6. Michael Chang – 18 years, 5 months, 1 day – Canada Masters 1990

Chang remains the youngest man to win a Grand Slam as he was 17 years, 3 months and 7 days when he won the French Open in 1989.

But that was just before the launch of the ATP Tour (or ATP World Tour as it was known as back then) in 1990 and Chang won four titles before 1990.

So the Canada Masters title is his first trophy in the ATP Tour era and he defeated top seed Andre Agassi 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 in the quarter-final and fifth seed Sampras 3-6, 7-6, 7-5 in the last four getting the better of fourth seed Jay Berger 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 loss in the final.

5. Carlos Alcaraz – 18 years, 2 months, 20 days – Umag 2021

Carlos Alcaraz could go on to break several all-time tennis records as he is already on 17 ATP Tour titles before turning 22.

The first of those 17 came in 2021 in a match of experience against youth as the teenager beat 35-year-old Richard Gasquet in the final of the Croatia Open.

“It’s amazing. I have a lot of emotions. I’m really, really happy with this victory, this win, my first ATP [title],” the Spaniard said. “I’m going to enjoy this moment a lot.”

The following year he won the US Open and also became the youngest world No 1 – all before turning 20.

4. Rafael Nadal – 18 years, 2 months, 6 days – Sopot 2004

Just a couple of months after turning 18, Nadal was already a special player as he was seeded sixth for the clay-court event in Poland.

The Future 22-time Grand Slam winner Nadal defeated Franco Squillari from Argentina and Spain’s Felix Mantilla en route to the final and then beat the unseeded Jose Acasuso 6-3, 6-4 to lift his maiden title.

He went on another 91 ATP Tour singles titles before calling it a day in 2024.

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3. Kei Nishikori – 18 years, 1 month, 13 days – Delray Beach 2008

Japanese great Nishikori kicked off the Delray Beach event at No 244 in the ATP Rankings and beat fifth seed Florian Mayer in the first round and third seed Sam Querrey in the semi-final.

He then overcame top seed James Blake 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in the final and stated: “I still can’t believe it that I beat James Blake. I’ve only seen him on TV. This is my best tournament ever.”

He surged to No 122 in the rankings after his title run.

2. Andrei Medvedev – 17 years, 9 months, 15 days – Genoa 1992

Andrei Medvedev became the youngest-ever player to win an ATP World Tour title in 1992 when he beat Argentinian Guillermo Perez Roldan 6-3, 6-4 in the final of the Italian event two years after the launch of the Tour.

The young Ukrainian didn’t face any seeded players during his run to the final with Roldan also unseeded for the event.

Medvedev went on to win 11 ATP singles titles and he lifted eight of those trophies before he turned 20 while he also finished runner-up at the 1999 French Open.

1. Lleyton Hewitt – 16 years, 10 months, 9 days – Adelaide 1998

Future world No 1 Lleyton Hewitt was still in school when he took part in the Adelaide event in 1998.

Sitting at No 550 in the rankings, he got the better of Mark Woodforde, Vince Spadea and the great Andre Agassi during his incredible run to the final.

He faced fellow Australian Jason Stoltenberg in the final and won 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) to replace Medvedev as the youngest ATP Tour title winner.

“I was still planning on going to school as much as possible in Year 12, our final year of high school in Australia, but that January, just before school re-started in February, I got the Adelaide wild card. So I’d pretty much decided when I held up the trophy, that I wasn’t going back to school,” he recalled on the ATP Tour’s official website 20 years after his historic title.

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World No 1 Jannik Sinner confesses that he “accepts responsibility” for his team, after failing two doping tests in March 2024 – leading to a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) that bans him from competing for a three-month period

Shockwaves were sent through the tennis world as it was announced that WADA had reached an agreement with Sinner to drop their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), in return for the Italian being banned from professional tennis until May.

The settlement comes prior to the hearing of WADA’s appeal of the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s (ITIA) ruling to the CAS in April, with a one or two-year ban highly likely – should the appeal have been successful.

As a result, the appeal has now been dropped, but the 2025 Australian Open champion cannot compete professionally until May 5^th, just before the Italian Open in Rome.

In an official statement released shortly after the announcement, the three-time Grand Slam champion stated: “This case had been hanging over me now for nearly a year and the process still had a long time to run with a decision maybe only at the end of the year.

“I have always accepted that I am responsible for my team and realise WADA’s strict rules are an important protection for the sport I love.

“On that basis, I have accepted WADA’s offer to resolve these proceedings on the basis of a 3-month sanction.”

Sinner’s lawyer said: “I am delighted that Jannik can finally put this harrowing experience behind him.

“WADA has confirmed the facts determined by the Independent Tribunal. It is clear that Jannik had no intent, no knowledge, and gained no competitive advantage. Regrettably, errors made by members of his team led to this situation.”

It was in March, during the Indian Wells Open, when the highest-ranked male singles player in the world failed two separate doping tests. The tests were positive for small levels of clostebol, a banned anabolic steroid.

The shocking results remained unknown to the public until August, when it was announced that Sinner’s appeal of his suspension was successful with an independent tribunal – convened by the ITIA – which determined that he bore ‘no fault or negligence.’

The Italian’s story followed that his physiotherapist, Giocomo Naldi, purchased an over-the-counter spray to treat a minor cut on Naldi’s finger, and later used it for that purpose during Indian Wells. Subsequently, according to the team, Sinner then received multiple massages from his physio, who failed to wear gloves, and the steroid inadvertently entered his body through ‘skin lesions.’

However, WADA was quick to appeal the tribunal’s decision, arguing that “the finding of ‘no fault or negligence’ was not correct under the applicable rules.”

In late August, Sinner parted ways with Naldi and fitness coach Umberto Ferrara.

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A hearing of the appeal at the CAS was scheduled for April 16^th – 17^th, but this has now been adjourned, due to the settlement.

Meanwhile, the ATP is happy that the matter has been resolved but they also gave a warning to all players.

“This case is an important reminder of players’ responsibility to carefully manage the products and treatments they or their entourages use. We welcome the conclusion of this matter,” it said.

As a result of the ban, the world No 1 will drop 2,100 ranking points and is forced to miss the Qatar Open, as well as the first four Masters 1000 events of 2025. Sinner was the defending champion in Miami, and was also attempting to defend semi-finalist points at the Monte Carlo Masters.

Although he also lost in the semi-final of the Indian Wells Open last year, those ranking points and prize money were stripped after the initial ITIA ruling in August.

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Amid a tennis world still reeling from Jannik Sinner’s three-month ban, Carlos Alcaraz will face a former Grand Slam champion in the first round of the Qatar Open, with Novak Djokovic facing a Wimbledon finalist in his opener.

The ATP Tour 500 event in Doha was set to be a stacked event, with six of the world’s top 10 being present in the draw. As such, Sinner would sit at the top of the draw as the first seed, as he looked to add yet another title to his collection.

However, before the draw was made, it was announced that the Italian and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) had arrived at a settlement over their ongoing ‘doping’ dispute. This agreement stated that Sinner would accept that his team displayed negligence over his two failed doping tests in March, in exchange for a three-month ban from professional tennis.

The negotiated ban is substantially shorter than any punishment he would have received had WADA’s appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport been successful – with a one or two-year ban almost certain.

As such, despite already having his first practice in Doha, Sinner was ineligible to participate in the tournament.

Carlos Alcaraz

The pre-draw withdrawal meant that Alcaraz was bumped up to the first seed position, however, despite this privilege, his path looks to be a difficult one.

In the opening match, he will face 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic – who is currently struggling for wins but is almost always dangerous on quicker courts. Not many know this better than the Spaniard, who went to a fifth-set with the Croat en route to his first Grand Slam title in 2022.

Should Alcaraz progress, he is projected to face Zhizhen Zhang who recently defeated Hubert Hurkacz in Marseille, with Grigor Dimitrov looming in the final eight. The Bulgarian may be trailing the head-to-head with the four-time Grand Slam champion, but Dimitrov has come out on top of their last two matches and won their last four sets played.

To make matters worse, Alcaraz’s projected semi-final is with Novak Djokovic – who defeated him at the 2025 Australian Open.

Novak Djokovic

The Serbian may be projected to face Alcaraz in the Qatar Open semi-finals, but he will not be looking past his first-round opponent.

In a rematch of the 2021 Wimbledon final, Djokovic will face Matteo Berrettini in his opening match. The Italian has been unable to recapture the form he had that year, following multiple injuries, but has had impressive wins over the likes of Cameron Norrie and Frances Tiafoe, as well as a clay title in Kitzbuhel.

The potential ‘banana skins’ continue in the next round, where the 24-time Grand Slam champion would face either the big-serving Jan-Lennard Struff or the ever-tricky Tallon Griekspoor. The Dutchman would be favoured to face Djokovic, having won both matches against the German, and having had more high-quality wins recently.

In the quarter-finals, Djokovic would be likely to face Jack Draper or Alexei Popyrin. The Brit has only met the Serbian superstar once, where he took the first set of their match at SW19 and looked in supreme form in Melbourne at the start of 2025.

However, Popyrin cannot – and should not – be counted out, despite not having won a match this season. If he could capture a similar form to what he possessed against Djokovic in their third-round match at the 2024 US Open – where he completed the upset – then a semi-final appearance in the last four is far from guaranteed.

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Alex de Minaur

As a result of Sinner’s withdrawal, De Minaur was bumped up to the second seed position. The world No 6 looked in top form in Rotterdam, and will look to continue that level in the outdoor conditions of Doha.

The Australian has a relatively soft draw early on, facing Roman Safiullin in his opener, before facing off against either a qualifier or wildcard Abdullah Shelbayh.

In the quarter-finals, Andrey Rublev and Alexander Bublik lie in waiting. The Russian has had plenty of success at the Qatar Open, reaching the final in 2018 and lifting the trophy in 2020. Rublev and de Minaur have shared a very competitive rivalry, with the latter leading the head-to-head with four wins compared to the three of Rublev.

The Australian would likely rather play Bublik in the last eight, having never lost to the Kazach, however, Bublik did win his last match against Rublev, so their respective match would be a toss-up.

Daniil Medvedev is projected to fill the other semi-final spot opposite de Minaur, with Stefanos Tsitsipas another option.

Daniil Medvedev

Medvedev looked out-of-sorts for much of 2024 and didn’t look much better during his loss against Learner Tien at the 2025 Australian Open.

The Russian will face off against his fellow countryman and childhood friend Karen Khachanov in the first round, with Medvedev leading the head-to-head 5-2. However, given his recent level, the former Grand Slam champion will not take Khachanov lightly.

In the round of 16, Medvedev is projected to face Zizou Bergs or, more likely, Roberto Bautista Agut. The Spaniard has great memories in Doha, having beaten Djokovic from a set-and-a-break down in 2019, lifting the trophy in 2022. On the other hand, Bautista Agut is on a five-match losing streak and hasn’t clinched a win since October 2024.

Should he reach the quarter-finals, Medvedev likely faces the tricky challenge of sixth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas or the in-form Felix Auger-Aliassime. The Canadian has already won two titles this season, and won his last meeting 6-3, 7-6(5) against the Russian at Paris-Bercy in 2024. Medvedev has a rocky and intense rivalry against Tsitsipas, with the Greek similarly out of form, and having lost his last three matches in their head-to-head, with two of them being on a hard court.

The Qatar Open will take place from February 17th until February 22^nd.

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It didn’t take long for Nick Kyrgios to give his verdict on Jannik Sinner’s three-month ban from tennis after his failed drug tests – and it will come as no surprise that it is damning.

Australian player Kyrgois has been the most outspoken critic of Sinner since he tested positive for the anabolic steroid clostebol last March.

World No 1 Sinner tested positive for the anabolic steroid clostebol last March, but the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) accepted that it was down to accidental contamination.

However, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has challenged the verdict and has asked for the Italian – who won last year’s US Open title shortly after the test was made public – to be banned from the sport for between one and two years.

Now it has been confirmed that ‘an agreement’ has been reached between WADA and Sinner’s team that will see him banned for just three months and crucially, he will be back in time to play in the French Open in May.

WADA accepts that Sinner “did not intend to cheat, and that his exposure to clostebol did not provide any performance-enhancing benefit and took place without his knowledge as the result of negligence of members of his entourage”.

Their statement revealed how they had reached their agreement with the Italian as it read: “Under the code and by virtue of CAS precedent, an athlete bears responsibility for the entourage’s negligence.

“Based on the unique set of facts of this case, a three-month suspension is deemed to be an appropriate outcome.”

Kyrgois was quick to question that decision, as he voiced an opinion many will share of what appears to be a ‘deal’ to avoid a longer ban.

“So WADA come out and say it would be a 1-2 year ban,” he wrote on Twitter.

“Obviously Sinner’s team have done everything in their power to just go ahead and take a 3-month ban, no titles lost, no prize money lost. Guilty or not? Sad day for tennis. Fairness in tennis does not exist.”

Former British No 1 Tim Henman rarely dips his toe in contentious tennis issues, but he agreed that the WADA/Sinner agreement left plenty of questions.

“First and foremost I don’t think in any way he has been trying to cheat at any stage, I don’t believe that,” four-time Wimbledon semi-finalist Henman told Sky Sports News.

“However, when I read this statement this morning it just seems a little bit too convenient.

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“Obviously having just won the Australian Open, to miss three months of the Tour and therefore to be eligible to play at Roland Garros, the timing couldn’t have been any better for Sinner, but I still think it leaves a pretty sour taste for the sport.

“When you’re dealing with drugs in sport it very much has to be black and white, it’s binary, it’s positive or negative, you’re banned or you’re not banned.

“When you start reading words like settlement or agreement, it feels like there’s been a negotiation and I don’t think that will sit well with the player cohort and the fans of the sport.”

Almost a year has passed since the failed doping test and Henman suggests the wait to reach this verdict has been too elongated.

“He tested positive in Indian Wells in March, a long time ago, and to have had this cloud over his head also emphasises how we need to get to these conclusions a lot quicker,” said Henman.

“From Sinner’s point of view, he will be very keen to serve his ban, draw a line in the sand and get ready for Roland Garros, which is such a big priority for him.”

This deal feels like a very convenient timeframe for Sinner and he will have plenty of questions to answer about this story for the rest of his career.

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Jannik Sinner’s decision to accept an immediate ban after his representatives reached an agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) means he will miss several major tournaments on the ATP Tour.

The three-time Grand Slam winner will be banned for three months and his suspension from all tennis runs from 9 February until 4 May.

The Italian’s nightmare started last March when he twice tested positive for the anabolic steroid clostebol and was provisionally suspended.

However, his lawyers successfully argued his case and he was allowed to continue playing before the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) cleared him in August as they found he bore “no fault or negligence” for the failed tests.

Sinner, who was stripped of his prize money and points for the Indian Wells Open, said the substance entered his system when a member of his team messaged him using a cream that contained clostebol.

But WADA appealed the decision as they believe he should have been punished and requested a minimum ban between 12 months and 24 months.

The case was due to be heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in April, but news broke on Saturday that Sinner had accepted a three-month ban with immediate effect.

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“WADA accepts that Mr. Sinner did not intend to cheat, and that his exposure to clostebol did not provide any performance-enhancing benefit and took place without his knowledge as the result of negligence of members of his entourage,” the WADA statement said.

“However, under the Code and by virtue of CAS precedent, an athlete bears responsibility for the entourage’s negligence. Based on the unique set of facts of this case, a three-month suspension is deemed to be an appropriate outcome.”

Affected Tournaments

Sinner was due to return to action at the Qatar Open this week, but he has already been replaced in the ATP 500 main draw by a lucky loser.

After that, he was due to travel to the United States for the Sunshine Double, but will now miss both of those tournaments and will lose a lot of points for the second of those events.

The Italian reached the semi-final of the Indian Wells Open last year, but he was stripped of his points later in the campaign due to the two positive tests.

He then won the Miami Open and will now be unable to defend the 1,000 points.

The clay-court season kicks off with the Monte Carlo Masters and last year he reached the semi-final so will drop 400 points while he was next expected to play at the Barcelona Open (no points to defend).

The Madrid Open will be the final event he misses as it runs from 23 April until 4 May. Sinner made the quarter-final last year so will drop 200 points.

He is expected to make his return at his home event, the Italian Open, which runs from May 7-18.

That is likely to be his only clay-court tournament before the 2025 French Open as the Roland Garros tournament gets underway on 28 May.

The season then moves to grass and Sinner will likely play one warm-up event before Wimbledon starts on 30 June.

Sinner won two Grand Slams with the controversy hanging over his head as he lifted the US Open last September, shortly after the ITIA announced he had been cleared, while he also successfully defended his Australian Open title at the start of 2025.

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