EXCLUSIVE: Todd Woodbridge disappointed by WADA 'big dogs' after twist in Sinner doping saga
Australian tennis legend Todd Woodbridge has taken aim at the World Anti-Doping Authority as Jannik Sinner's doping saga enters another chapter.
Last year, Sinner twice tested positive to Clostebol, a banned anabolic steroid, with the International Tennis Integrity Agency finding his physiotherapist had used a spray that contained the drug.
Sinner was found to have "no fault or negligence" by an independent tribunal and was not handed a suspension.
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WADA has now decided to challenge that finding at the Court of Arbitraton for Sport, with a date set for April 16-17.
Sinner was not the only star player subject to a doping scandal, with Iga Swiatek suspended for one month following a positive test for the banned substance trimetazidine. The ITIA accepted the test outcome was caused by a contamination to her sleeping medication.
Todd Woodbridge believes WADA shouldn't be intervening in Jannik Sinner's case. Getty/Nine
Due to the ITIA's process, Woodbridge believes the matter should be settled, instead of having WADA intervene.
"The interesting thing for me is that I think this situation both with Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek, there is a book and this has gone by the book with every single piece of the puzzle that it has to go through from testing positive to doing tests to going through and finding out how they got it in their system, going through all the protocols," he said on Wide World of Sports' The Morning Serve.
"For tennis it just shows how deep our sport goes into making sure we're OK.
"These players get tested at that level almost every two weeks, so there's something happening all the time.
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"The other thing for me, because both cases were handled quickly - they were able to find out what was in their system, deliver that and go through the process - that's actually good for our sport.
"We've had cases that have taken ages and too long and I think this actually puts pressure on everyone else, in terms of WADA and doping organisations, to be more consistent with how they go through it.
"So although there's some negatives in a way, I do see some positives for tennis.
"And I think that's quite disappointing, that's the big dogs coming in and saying 'we want total control', it's been through a process and they're making it go through another process again, which I find mind-boggling to be honest with you."
Jannik Sinner is facing a ban for testing positive to a banned substance. Getty
Reports suggest Sinner could face a one-year suspension if WADA's appeal is successful but Woodbridge believes it won't be quite that harsh.
"If they get their way he will probably get a short ban, between two and six months, so that's not great for the sport, not great for him," he said.
"We'll see what comes of it. The lessons are you've got to be incredibly careful as the athlete. It is so easy for something to get into your system, no matter how hard you try, and I think that's what these things prove.
"Iga's was proven very quickly that there was some contamination in a vitamin tablet that absolutely was not supposed to be contaminated from the process, it was a substance and a tablet that they said would be fine - you just do not know.
"It won't be the last time in our sport or any sport that someone inadvertently gets caught and there'll be others trying to beat the system, that's the way human nature is."
