World No. 1 Jannik Sinner has agreed to a three-month doping ban under a settlement with WADA, allowing him to return to competition before the French Open in May.
WADA had appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against an independent tribunal's decision in August to clear Sinner of wrongdoing after the three-times major winner failed drug tests.
Sinner, who successfully defended his Australian Open crown last month, had tested positive for anabolic agent clostebol which the 23-year-old said had entered his system from a member of his support team through massages and sports therapy.
Sinner's ban began on Feb. 9 and will end on May 4 while he can return to training on April 13. The French Open is scheduled to begin on May 25.
"WADA confirms that it has entered into a case resolution agreement in the case of Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner, with the player accepting a three-month period of ineligibility for an anti-doping rule violation," WADA said in a statement Saturday.
"WADA accepts that Mr. Sinner did not intend to cheat and that his exposure to clostebol did not provide any performance-enhancing benefit and took place without his knowledge as the result of negligence of members of his entourage."
"However, under the Code and by virtue of CAS precedent, an athlete bears responsibility for the entourage's negligence," it added.
The case was set to be heard by CAS in April and Sinner was in danger of being banned for up to two years.
Sinner will miss Masters tournaments at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo and Madrid.
WADA has formally withdrawn its appeal to CAS after they reached a settlement while they did not seek disqualification of his results.
"This case had been hanging over me now 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," Sinner said in a statement.
"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," he added.
"On that basis I have accepted WADA's offer to resolve these proceedings on the basis of a 3 month sanction."
The ATP said it acknowledged the resolution of Sinner's case following his agreement with WADA.
"This case is an important reminder of players' responsibility to carefully manage the products and treatments they or their entourages use," it said.
Sinner is the second high-ranked player to accept a doping ban in recent months after world number two Iga Swiatek accepted a one-month suspension in November having tested positive for banned substance trimetazidine (TMZ).
Swiatek had been provisionally suspended from Sept. 12 until Oct. 4, missing three tournaments as a result while she also forfeited prize money from the Cincinnati Open, the tournament directly following the test.
Sinner's lawyer Jamie Singer said WADA had confirmed the facts determined by the independent tribunal.
"It is clear that Jannik had no intent, no knowledge, and gained no competitive advantage. Regrettably, errors made by members of his team led to this situation," Singer said.
However, the decision did not go down well with the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), an organization established by Novak Djokovic.
"The 'system' is not a system. It's a club. Supposed case-by-case discretion is, in fact, merely cover for tailored deals, unfair treatment, and inconsistent rulings," the PTPA said.
"It's not just the different results for different players. It's the lack of transparency. The lack of process. The lack of consistency ... This bias is unacceptable for all athletes and shows a deep disrespect for every sport and its fans," it added.
Australian Nick Kyrgios, who had previously said the two doping incidents were "disgusting" for the sport, said it was a "sad day for tennis" after several other players received longer bans for similar positive tests.
Former world No. 1 Simona Halep had questioned the "big difference" in how doping cases are treated after she was banned despite strongly denying knowingly taking the banned substance roxadustat.
Halep was initially banned for four years, a period later reduced to nine months after an appeal.
However, Italian Tennis and Padel Federation President Angelo Binaghi said Sinner would be welcomed with open arms at the Italian Open, which begins in Rome three days after his ban ends.
"This is the first time that a shameful injustice makes us happy because our first thought is for the boy who sees the end of a nightmare," Binaghi said.
