Mats Wilander on the “unfair” situation due to Jannik Sinner’s anti-doping decision – “The process is obviously terrible” – Eurosport

Mats Wilander has criticized the process related to Jannik Sinner’s anti-doping decision, claiming that there is a lack of professionalism in doping organizations, which can cause “unfair” results for players.

The ITIA ruled that his physiotherapist gave Sinner a contaminated product to treat a wound on his hands and said the Italian was not at fault or negligent.

Wilander, the former world number one and seven-time Grand Slam champion, was relieved that Sinner had not been banned for the failed tests, calling the situation “a complete accident”.

“We are so happy that Jannik Sinner is still playing on tour,” Wilander said in an interview with Eurosport. “He’s a great guy. He’s really good at the game. The competition with him and Carlos Alcaraz is already epic. And I’m 100% convinced that this was a complete accident for Jannik and his team. Of course.

“But whenever doctors or physiotherapists have a banned substance in their medicine bags, you have to wonder, what are they doing? Why is it so hard to get it?

“And there’s obviously a mistake being made where the people in charge of the players need to train more, they need to read more, they need to be very careful, because of course it can destroy a player’s career.”

Wilander called Sinner “one of the fairest tennis players we’ve ever seen,” but was far from impressed with the ITIA’s handling of things.

He said the “terrible” process, from tests to the unprofessionalism of doping organizations, could have serious consequences for players’ careers.

“The process is obviously horrible because if you can test something and get a result that’s that small, I mean a billionth of a gram, it’s literally nothing.

“But if you can be that good at testing, you must be that good at the process, because not only would you destroy a player’s career, but you could destroy the country in terms of developing tennis players. Italy is doing great. That’s why we’re lucky that Jannik has been able to continue playing.

“Professionalism is not good for doping organizations. They need to get it right. And that’s unfair. And of course it has nothing to do with Jannik, but it is unfair to all the other players who have been caught and then purged. It was the result of a positive test but they never did anything and it has been proven in so many cases.

“So you understand when some players come out and say ‘yeah, sure, sure, he didn’t do it, or whatever’, but I think we know that Jannik Sinner is one of the fairest tennis players we’ve ever seen.”

Wilander also questioned the inconsistencies in the processes for different athletes, with players such as Simona Halep – who also failed a doping test in 2022 and received a heavy ban – apparently receiving different treatment from the ITIA.

ITIA was proactive and public about Halep’s case, while Sinner’s situation was only made public this week, even though she failed a doping test in March.

“Does it have anything to do with him being No. 1 in the world? Possibly,” Wilander said. “And if there’s any chance of that happening, it’s going to make things even worse.

“I mean, if it was just a random situation where one player it’s public, the next player it’s not public, and the result might not be 100%, then it’s very vague. We don’t want to make it public until we’re tested a second time and did some research.”

Wilander said the controversy surrounding Sinner has created a “terrible situation” ahead of next week’s US Open, the final Grand Slam of the year.

He explained: “We’re talking about it now just a couple of days before the US Open, which is a huge tournament in our men’s game right now, right after the Olympics. Can Novak Djokovic win his next major?

“And we’re talking about Jannik Sinner and his doctor and the process. So for me it’s a terrible situation. I’m glad Jannik is allowed to play, but the process is terrible.