Public opinion was divided when it heard the news of the agreement between Jannik Sinner and WADA. The world number 1 who had been found as totally innocent in the first instance by an independent court was suspended for three months due to a mistake made by two members of his team (Umberto Ferrara and Giacomo Naldi).
ADVERTISEMENT
WADA had already tried to reach an agreement with Jannik's team some time ago, but the initial proposal had been rejected.
The negotiation became more concrete immediately after the Australian Open, with the Italian ace's lawyers realizing that it was the best solution given the circumstances.
It is true that the 23-year-old from Sesto Pusteria had been totally acquitted in the first instance, but it was not possible to predict what would happen in the hearing before the CAS in Lausanne and WADA continued to push for a year of suspension.
Such a suspension would have been a huge damage for the 3-time Grand Slam champion, who has never intentionally taken doping and who was the victim of the mistake of his collaborators. The so-called 'strict liability' fell on Jannik, who is also responsible for the actions of all his team members.
ADVERTISEMENT
At the same time, it is strange that his former fitness coach Umberto Ferrara has not suffered any sanctions and has already returned to the ATP tour alongside Matteo Berrettini.
Barbara Schett on Sinner's trial
In a long interview with the sports magazine 'Kicker', former Austrian player Barbara Schett analyzed in detail the various facets of Sinner's trial: "People find this agreement very strange, because they don't understand whether the Italian player is guilty or not. I have always believed his version of the facts, but the procedure was not very transparent and this generated several doubts.
Many players have developed the belief that they can negotiate with WADA the duration of their suspension.
WADA needs to be clear about its rules to avoid confusion in future cases."
