Jannik Sinner stays ahead of Novak Djokovic and retains No. 1 spot for last week as point deduction for failed drug test not applied retroactively
Jannik Sinner will stay ahead of Novak Djokovic in last week's ATP rankings, as the 400-point penalty he faced will not be applied retroactively. The points were deducted as Sinner tested positive for a banned substance Clostebol during the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells earlier this year.
Sinner was provisionally suspended but overturned the decision by justifying that the failed tests were due to unintentional contamination from treatment given by his physiotherapist, Giacomo Naldi.
Subsequently, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) cleared the 23-year-old of any violation, as the trace amount in his system was deemed negligible, allowing him to continue competing on tour. However, Sinner was charged $325,000 and 400 ranking points he received for reaching the semifinals at the Indian Wells.
Following the decision, there was speculation about whether Sinner's points would be retroactively deducted. Had this occurred before last week, Novak Djokovic would have taken to the No. 1 spot in the ATP rankings. While Djokovic had 8,460 points, Sinner had 8,770 and the loss of 400 points would have elevated the Serb to the top position, at least for last week.
However, the points won't be deducted retroactively but will instead be removed in this week's rankings as per ATP's recent report shared by journalist Ben Rothenberg on X.
Several renowned tennis figures have since, spoken on this matter, with the likes of Nick Kyrgios, Denis Shapovalov, and Lucas Pouille criticizing the authorities for allowing Sinner to continue playing on tour.
Jannik Sinner to put doping row behind him
In a statement shared on Instagram following the investigation, Jannik Sinner said that he would put the challenging period behind him and would continue to comply with ITIA's anti-doping program.
“I will now put this challenging and deeply unfortunate period behind me. I will continue to do everything I can to ensure I continue to comply with the ITIA’s anti-doping programme and I have a team around me that are meticulous in their own compliance.”
Jannik Sinner will next compete at the 2024 US Open. The Italian had a great lead-up to the New York Major, reaching the quarterfinals of the Canadian Open and then winning the Cincinnati Open, his 15th career ATP title.
The Italian has had an impressive hard-court record so far in 2024, winning the Australian Open, Miami Open and the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam. As of now, he has a 28-2 win-loss record on the surface this season.