Simon Jordan: Jannik Sinner Must Take Responsibility for Failed Drug Tests
Jannik Sinner must accept responsibility for his failed drug tests and subsequent three-month ban, according to talkSPORT’s Simon Jordan.
The world No. 1 has been suspended from tennis until May 4 after testing positive for the banned anabolic steroid clostebol earlier this year. The contamination was traced back to a physiotherapist’s massage, and while Sinner initially avoided a ban, he later reached a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
Despite the ruling allowing him to return in time for the French Open, some believe his reputation has been tarnished. Tennis reporter Marcus Buckland suggested on White and Jordan that the controversy may leave a lingering stain.
“Probably a little bit unfortunate and unlucky for him, but I think a lot of people will forever have just a little bit of a question mark against his name,” Buckland said.
Jordan, however, drew comparisons to boxing superstar Canelo Alvarez, whose legacy was impacted by a similar situation. The former undisputed super middleweight champion received a six-month suspension in 2018 after testing positive for clenbuterol, a muscle-building and fat-burning substance. Alvarez was forced to withdraw from a world title rematch against Gennady Golovkin but returned to defeat him later that year.
Yet, as Jordan pointed out, Alvarez remains a major figure in boxing.
“How do we look at Canelo Alvarez? Nobody looks at him any differently, do they?” Jordan argued. “Arguably the greatest super middleweight the world has ever seen, won everything, gets paid more money than anyone’s ever been paid in boxing. But got banned for drugs…”
Co-host Jim White suggested boxing carries a “more sinister” reputation than tennis, but Jordan dismissed that notion.
“What, because tennis is cream and strawberries at Wimbledon?” he quipped.
Martin Keown then questioned whether Sinner should fight to clear his name entirely.
“But he’s guilty, he’s guilty,” Jordan insisted.
Keown countered, “Yeah, but guilty because… really? Because a physio applied it onto his skin?”
Jordan refused to soften his stance. “That doesn’t matter. He’s arguing about degrees of guilt. ‘I didn’t do it on purpose, but I did it.’ So he’s absolutely guilty. What are you arguing about?
“You’re making a trade-off—’Well, I’m guilty by association because it was rubbed into my body. I know the rules say I have to account for it. I’ve accounted for it, but I still have to take a consequence for it.'”
Jordan compared the situation to football, saying: “It’s grown-up thinking. He’s guilty, not by his own hand, but literally by the hands of the masseuse. But he employed the masseuse. The same way a chairman takes responsibility for a manager…”
White clarified that Sinner had reached a settlement rather than receiving a direct punishment, but Jordan pushed back.
“No, the independent commission gave him a pass. WADA brought it back around again,” he explained. “What people want is a five-month ban starting in April so he can’t play in the French Open, Wimbledon, or the US Open. Then they’d say, ‘That’s fair.’ But then someone else would say, ‘But he played in the Australian Open.'”
White then suggested the ban should have started in May to ensure Sinner missed both Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
Jordan fired back: “Hang on, he’s gone back and they’ve given him a ban. So you want to suspend the ban for three months and then move it three months forward?”
Keown pointed out that Sinner has access to top-tier medical staff and should not be making such mistakes.
“He surrounds himself with the best physios—shouldn’t they be avoiding this?” Keown questioned.
Jordan redirected the blame toward WADA, arguing: “Who are we aiming our guns at here? Sinner or WADA? WADA are the ones who wanted the penalty.
“So if they’re the ones who wanted to do a deal, why don’t you take it up with them? Say to them, ‘Why are you doing a deal with the player? You want to enforce a message? Enforce it!'”
