'He never tried to cheat, case closed...' - Rafael Nadal makes powerful claim on Jannik Sinner's doping saga

The month of February literally saw the final commencement of a three-month doping ban on world number one Jannik Sinner, a ban agreed upon by WADA after his two positive drug tests in the 2024 season. This recent development has been followed by an initial rumour that he had cleared the player of wrongdoing.

However, this was challenged by WADA despite finding that Sinner was not at fault. Notably, legendary player Novak Djokovic also voiced concerns about the fairness after his doping ban. Serena Williams also spoke about the same matter while stating that she could have been banned for 20 years if she were in Sinner's place.

However, Rafael Nadal has now extended his thoughts to this matter. The Spanish legend accepted that Sinner's unintentional involvement in the doping case wasn't the right thing for tennis. However, the 38-year-old legend stated that he believed in the current world number one while calling him innocent.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion affirmed that he believed in the Italian sensation and that the 23-year-old star player would not be cheating or getting an undue advantage from anything. The 14-time Roland Garros champion clearly clarified that the world number one has acknowledged the case and the case is set to be over.

What's next for Jannik Sinner after his doping ban?

It's worth noting that Jannik Sinner was banned after winning the Australian Open 2025. The world number one is set to be in action at the Italian Open, as his ban is set to end on May 4.

"In this case it’s 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. 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. I believe in the ruling. Jannik has accepted these three months of sanction and so: case closed," Rafael Nadal said.

Also Read: What’s next for Jannik Sinner? Inside the Italian star’s return to tennis after a three-month doping ban