Sinner settlement won't appease those treated harshly like Halep

Italian received a shorter ban with admission of guilt but others have been treated a lot more harshly in cases of contamination

Italian Jannik Sinner pictured during the Australian Open. Photo by PATRICK HAMILTON/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images 

In the end, then, everyone got something they wanted. For Jannik Sinner, the three-month ban he has accepted from the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) is less than he might have received had he let the appeal go the natural distance. While he will miss almost nothing of note, at least in terms of grand slams, since the world No 1 will be free to return in early May, ready for the French Open and a shot at a third successive major title and fourth in total.

For Wada, Sinner’s partial admission of responsibility holds up a key part of the anti-doping programme: that an individual is responsible for what goes in their body, a responsibility that extends to their entourage. And for the sporting world at large, it’s something of a rebuttal to those who say the superstars get preferential treatment.