Rafael Nadal opens up on Jannik Sinner’s doping ban with World No. 1 set for return

Rafael Nadal has put his weight behind Jannik Sinner amid the latter’s doping ban. The World No.1 is all set to return to the tour and his ban will be lifted on May 4. The Italian served a three-month ban from the sport after he was tested positive twice last year.

Meanwhile, trace amounts of Clostebol were found in Sinner’s doping sample. However, Sinner explained that it was due to a massage from a trainer who used the substance after cutting his own finger.

International Tennis Integrity Agency had accepted Sinner’s explanation but WADA was seeking to ban the Italian for at least a year.

“In the end, if I’m not mistaken, he came out of the ruling as innocent… In this case, it has not been positive for our sport, tennis. But these things happen sometimes, accidents happen, and that’s how I see this because I believe in Jannik,” Nadal said in an interview with the Telegraph.

“I’m convinced from what I know of Jannik that he never tried to cheat or get an advantage over the rest. I am sure that Jannik is an innocent and moral person,” he added.

Nadal said the case was closed after Sinner accepted a three-month ban from WADA.

“I believe in the ruling. Jannik has accepted these three months of sanction and so: case closed,” he added.

The Spaniard also backed the integrity of tennis’ anti-doping protocols.

“After, if we don’t like how the protocols function, then evidently the people involved need to work to improve them. But for me I don’t like to speak badly about our sport. At the end, those protocols are the protocols that we all accepted and signed onto,” he said.