Call for life bans for doping in tennis as 'sloppy' handling of Swiatek, Sinner cases ripped
Former Australian Open boss Paul McNamee says the doping cases involving Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner will cast a shadow over the Australian summers of tennis, calling the handling of both cases "sloppy".
Swiatek was given a provisional ban that began in September, after the US Open, but that was lifted because she quickly offered a believable explanation for the contamination — one that was backed up by tests, the ITIA said.
She missed three tournaments during the Asian swing after the US Open, although at the time, she didn't give the real reason for being sidelined.
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Eventually, the ITIA and Swiatek agreed she would serve a one-month suspension; because she was credited for the time she already missed, there were eight days remaining in a "one-month" penalty, so she is "serving" those now, even though the season is over.
Sinner tested positive for a banned anabolic steroid twice in March, but nothing came to light until August, just before the US Open, which he went on to win for his second Grand Slam title of 2024.
As with Swiatek, the cases were kept quiet until they were resolved because both players offered what ITIA found to be plausible explanations.
He blamed it on a cream his trainer used before giving Sinner a massage and so was cleared completely — although WADA has appealed that ruling — while Swiatek was found to have been "at the lowest end of the range for no significant fault or negligence," and so was given a light punishment.
"Obviously, they've got rules and regulations, and his [Sinner's] team played it [well] from the beginning, so they did nothing wrong," McNamee told The Sydney Morning Herald.
"I just think earlier transparency would have been appropriate. I want to see these cases get resolved sooner rather than later, but it has put a bit of a shadow around things, I think."
The way tennis bosses handled both cases drew sharp criticism from several players, including Nick Kyrgios who called the sport "cooked."
The differences between the way Swiatek and Sinner were treated in similar cases was also highlighted, with Simona Halep enduring several months away from the sport trying to clear her name.
Former French Open and Australian Open champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov, who was also the world number one for six weeks, from May to June 1999, criticised the light bans, stating a much harsher approach is needed.
"There should be a lifetime ban for those who test positive. There are no excuses, zero tolerance no matter who you are," Kafelnikov wrote on social media.
"Sometimes I wonder, why the hell didn't I use steroids throughout my career? I could have played 300 matches instead of 170 each year. It's a real shame what is happening today in the world of tennis.
"The saddest part is the young players (12-16 years old), who look up to their idols and think it may be normal to use steroids in the future to succeed. These players are a bad example for the new generations."
