Rafael Nadal Breaks Silence on Jannik Sinner Doping Row

Rafael Nadal has defended Jannik Sinner over the doping scandal that resulted in the world No. 1 tennis player's three-month suspension. Nadal dismissed the notion that Sinner’s status as world No. 1 influenced his treatment, highlighting the rigorous testing protocols in tennis. Sinner is set to compete in the upcoming French Open.

"I've said it several times: I'm totally convinced that Jannik never wanted to cheat or do anything illicit. I'd bet my life on it. There's always a lot of fuss about this kind of thing, and when it happens, it's bad for everyone. For him, I think, has been through an ordeal for a year. Obviously, for tennis, this kind of thing is negative," Nadal told the French newspaper L'Equipe.

"After that, if you question everything in life, you can ask everything. All I'm saying is that I trust Jannik. But just as I trust Jannik, I also trust the law. I don't like to give my opinion on things I don't know. So I understand that when the courts make decisions, it's because they have all the necessary information that we don't have. So I don't like to see other players talking about it without having the information. The people who have it throughout the whole process are the ones who have to make the decisions and judge the facts.

"I really don't believe that, because Jannik is number 1 in the world, he would have been treated differently. I don't believe in that. For twenty years, I've undergone all the controls, which are very numerous every year. I know how strict they are. If decisions have been taken in Jannik's favour, excusing him and saying he's not guilty, it's because the court that had to analyze the facts had all the evidence and all the arguments for making that decision. And we don't have all that. For me, it's a way of creating confusion, and it seems unfair," Nadal said.

Sinner is currently the world no.1; the Italian played his last match on May 18 when he suffered a defeat at the hands of world no.2 Carlos Alcaraz 7-6(5) 6-1 in the final in Rome. Sinner will play next at the French Open (French Open)