Why Jannik Sinner ban timing minimises career impact – Liam Broady explains

Liam Broady believes the timing of Jannik Sinner’s three-month doping ban has been arranged to affect the world number one’s career “as little as possible”.

Sinner accepted the ban after reaching a settlement over two positive drug tests from last year. The 23-year-old, who won the Australian Open in January, will be suspended from 9 February to 4 May. This means he will be eligible to compete in the French Open, starting on 19 May, the next Grand Slam of the year.

Broady commented to BBC Sport, “I think a lot of thought has gone into when the ban would happen, so it impacts Jannik’s career as little as possible. The ban ends the day before the Rome Masters, which is the biggest tournament in his home country. That’s perfect preparation for the French Open.”

He added that Sinner likely won’t lose any ranking points or his number one spot, making the ban an interesting case. “It’s like a Premier League footballer being banned over the summer,” Broady said.

While Sinner was cleared of wrongdoing by an independent panel after testing positive for clostebol in March, Wada had sought a two-year ban. However, a deal was reached, with the player accepted to have been inadvertently contaminated by the substance and “did not intend to cheat”.

Broady, ranked 766th, expressed disappointment with the verdict, suggesting it seemed to favour top players on the tour. “It doesn’t seem like there’s much being lost from this ban,” he said. “Would another player be treated the same way if this had happened to them? Would they be given the same dignity?”

Broady also criticised the role of money and legal teams in the case, stating that Sinner’s ability to afford a top-tier legal team gave him an advantage. “In tennis, we’re all self-employed, and many of us don’t have millions to fight these things,” Broady explained.

He suggested that the ATP could help by providing legal teams for all players, ensuring fairness across the board. “Money shouldn’t come into it,” he added, referencing the cases of other banned players like Tara Moore and Mikael Ymer.

The Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) is now working to provide pro bono legal support for players facing doping or corruption allegations, aiming to give players access to high-quality legal representation regardless of their financial status.