Jannik Sinner wiped from prestigious awards in brutal face slap

Tennis top dog Jannik Sinner has taken his first body blow after accepting a doping suspension that continues to divide opinions.

Jannik Sinner had his nomination for the prestigious Laureus sportsman of the year award revoked on Friday (AEDT) after he was banned for three months following two failed drugs tests.

The world No. 1 from Italy, who is the reigning US Open and Australian Open champion, twice tested positive for traces of the banned anabolic steroid clostebol in March last year.

“Following discussions by the Laureus Academy it has been decided that Jannik Sinner’s nomination for this year’s Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award is to be withdrawn,” said the awards body chairman Sean Fitzpatrick, the former New Zealand rugby union great.

“We have followed this case, the decisions of the relevant global bodies and — whilst we note the extenuating circumstances involved — feel that the three-month ban renders the nomination ineligible.

“Jannik and his team have been informed.”

Earlier in February, the 23-year-old Sinner agreed to a three-month ban from tennis after admitting “partial responsibility” for team mistakes which led to him twice testing positive in March 2024.

His suspension ends on May 4, allowing him to return in time for the French Open, the season’s second Grand Slam event of the year.

Jannik Sinner raises his glass to toast during a press conference following his Australian Open triumph. Photo by Vince CALIGIURI / TENNIS AUSTRALIA / AFP.

The Laureus awards have been offered annually since 2000 by a 69-strong jury comprised of sporting greats who make up the Laureus Academy.

In 2024, fellow tennis star Novak Djokovic took the sportsman of the year award for a record fifth time.

The nominees for this year’s awards will be announced on March 3 in Madrid, Spain.

There has been widespread criticism about the three-month ban handed down after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) had originally pursued a two-year doping suspension.

WADA

Sinner’s doping case was headed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport for a hearing beginning April 16 after WADA appealed the determination made by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) that Sinner showed “no fault or negligence” when he returned a positive test for the banned synthetic steroid at Indian Wells in 2024.

The 23-year-old’s argument — that he was not aware physical therapist Giacomo Naldi had applied the substance to his skin — was accepted by the ITIA.

Jannik Sinner and Anna Kalinskaya in New York. Photo: X, @thetennisletter.

Jannik Sinner and runners up Alexander Zverev after the 2025 Australian Open final. Photo by Martin KEEP / AFP.

The three-time grand slam champ accepted that the banned drug was rubbed on his skin when Naldi had first applied a cream to treat a cut on his own hand before he then rubbed his hands onto Sinner via a back massage and foot treatment.

Critically — in the eyes of many — WADA’s appeal in September did not change anything for Sinner.

There have been vocal calls this week suggesting Sinner should have been stood down preliminarily in September until the outcome of the case was settled this week.

That theoretical suspension would have seen Sinner rubbed out from the 2025 Australian Open — where he defended his Melbourne Park title in stunning fashion.

Leading Australian sport commentator Gerrard Whateley said on SEN Sinner’s triumph was a breach of faith with Australian sporting fans.

“There was a waft over the tournament. A stench,” he said on Monday.

“And now that we know it confirmed what we suspected. It stank. Jannik Sinner shouldn’t have been playing at Melbourne Park.

“That title is a breach of faith with the Australian sporting public and it’s a black mark against anti-doping which has an increasingly shaky record when it comes to major sport.”

— with news.com.au

Originally published as Jannik Sinner wiped from prestigious awards in brutal face slap