Alex de Minaur Weighs in on Jannik Sinner’s Doping Suspension
Alex de Minaur has shared his thoughts on Jannik Sinner’s recent suspension following the Italian’s controversial doping case. Sinner, who tested positive for Clostebol nearly a year ago at Indian Wells, reached an agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to accept a three-month suspension—avoiding a trial that could have resulted in a ban of up to two years.
Despite the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) ruling that the world No. 1 bore no “negligence or fault” in the violation, WADA initially filed an appeal seeking a harsher punishment before ultimately settling on the shortened ban.
Following his narrow quarterfinal loss at the Qatar Open—1-6, 6-3, 6-7(8) to Andrey Rublev—De Minaur addressed Sinner’s case in an interview with BB Tennis, responding to whether he believed the ruling reflected preferential treatment.
“It’s tough because we have seen something which has never happened,” the world No. 8 said. “In the past, it has always been a year or two years. It has always been much larger. It is something we have never seen, and I guess if someone else, or the next person, is in a similar position, I hope we see the same option being allowed.”
Historically, several tennis players—including Maria Sharapova, Simona Halep, Nicolas Jarry, Beatriz Haddad Maia, and Dan Evans—have received longer suspensions for unintentional doping violations. However, governing bodies have maintained that Sinner’s case was evaluated independently and did not involve any special treatment.
