World number one, Jannik Sinner, has accepted an immediate three-month ban from tennis after striking a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency over his two positive drug tests last year.
The 23-year-old Italian, who won the Australian Open last month, is suspended from February 9 to May 4.
He will be able to compete in the second Grand Slam of the year, the French Open, which begins on May 19.
Sinner was earlier cleared of all wrongdoing by an independent tribunal after testing positive for the banned drug clostebol in March.
Wada had sought a two-year ban after filing an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) challenging the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s (ITIA) decision not to suspend Sinner in 2024.
In a statement released on Saturday, Wada acknowledged that the three-time Grand Slam champion “did not intend to cheat,” that the substance “did not provide any performance-enhancing benefit,” and that this occurred “without his knowledge as a result of the negligence of members of his entourage.”
The CAS hearing will not take place, but Sinner will serve a three-month penalty because “under the code and by virtue of CAS precedent, an athlete bears responsibility for the entourage’s negligence.”
In a statement released by his lawyers, Sinner said, “This case had been hanging over me 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 realize 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 three-month sanction.”
Sinner’s positive tests were disclosed in August, just before the US Open, which he went on to win.
The ITIA stated at the time that the panel determined Sinner had “no fault or negligence” for testing positive for low levels of a clostebol metabolite, a steroid used to develop muscle mass.
It was agreed that he had been accidentally exposed by his physiotherapist, who was treating a cut on his hand with an over-the-counter spray that was later discovered to contain the illegal chemical.
However, Wada filed an appeal with Cas last September, arguing that the finding of “no fault or negligence” was incorrect under the applicable regulations, and a hearing was planned for April 16-17.
Wada has officially abandoned its CAS appeal, and Sinner will be unable to train until April 13.
The next tournament he may play is the clay-court Italian Open, which starts on May 7.
He will miss the renowned hard-court tournaments at Indian Wells and Miami, where he is the defending champion, as well as many clay tournaments leading up to the French Open.
According to the ITIA, Wada’s results support its earlier findings.
Sinner now leads the ATP rankings by more than 3,000 points over Germany’s world number two Alexander Zverev (8,135), with Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz in third place (7,510).
The Italian’s ban means he will be unable to defend points earned in events last year and will lose ranking points.
He will miss out on defending his title in the Miami Open, which runs from March 19 to March 30 and is worth 1,000 points.
He will also miss Indian Wells, the Monte Carlo Masters, and the Madrid Open, all of which have 1,000 points. The remaining tournaments are worth either 250 or 500 points.
Losing his top status would also depend on his competitors winning many events.
