"Alexander Zverev was not caught with ban substance" - Former tennis pro defends German amid Jannik Sinner doping comparisons
Tennis legend Yevgeny Kafelnikov recently expressed his confusion over Alexander Zverev being drawn into the Jannik Sinner doping ban saga. He was taken aback by people equating a sexual harassment case with doping.
The former World No. 1 had previously expressed strong disapproval of Jannik Sinner's settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). He publicly condemned the agreement and even suggested that other tennis players boycott matches against the Italian.
The Russian star took to X (formerly Twitter) to show his support for Zverev after he felt that people were unnecessarily dragging the German into the conversation. He highlighted that the two incidents were poles apart and that Zverev was not caught with banned substances.
"i am so fed up now!! Why you drawing parallels between Zverev case and Sinner saying that Sasha has also made a deal? Are you nuts? Zverev was NOT caught with ban substance in his system after doping test!!! So shut the hell up!!!!!" - he posted.
Kafelnikov was unhappy with Alexander Zverev's name being brought into the Sinner doping discussion, which he felt was out of context. Zverev, who faced sexual harassment accusations from former partners Olya Sharypova and Brenda Patea, and had reached a settlement with Sharypova, saw these past cases resurface in the last few days.
Sinner was also criticized by the Russian as he accepted the three-month ban from tennis. WADA's press release stated the ban was imposed because the current World No. 1 was held responsible for the actions of his entourage.
Alexander Zverev also shared his thoughts on Sinner, which then led to criticism regarding his off-court settlement in his sexual harassment cases.
Alexander Zverev thinks Jannik Sinner's three-month suspension is 'not enough'
Alexander Zverev recently expressed his views on Jannik Sinner's doping ban at a pre-2025 Rio Open press conference. While speaking to CLAY, he stated that a three-month suspension, which avoids any major tournament absences, is insufficient if Sinner was indeed at fault.
“Either you’re at no fault and you should get no suspension at all. Because if you have no fault, then you have no fault. You shouldn’t get punished. But if you do have fault, then I think for taking steroids, three months is not a suspension,” he said.
Due to the point difference, Alexander Zverev is positioned to potentially advance in the rankings during Jannik Sinner's suspension.