LONDON — The highly anticipated nomination of Jannik Sinner for the prestigious Laureus Sportsman of the Year award has been retracted as of Thursday. This decision comes in light of the Italian tennis star’s recent three-month suspension, a result of two positive doping tests that surfaced nearly a year ago.
In an official statement, Sean Fitzpatrick, chairman of the Laureus World Sports Academy, clarified that the withdrawal of Sinner’s nomination was influenced by the player’s settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). You can find the complete statement here.
“After thorough discussions within the Laureus Academy, we have concluded that Jannik Sinner’s nomination for this year’s award must be withdrawn,” Fitzpatrick explained.
“We have monitored this case closely along with the relevant global bodies and, despite acknowledging the mitigating factors, we believe that the three-month suspension makes the nomination no longer applicable. Sinner and his representatives have been duly informed.”
The announcement of the settlement between Sinner and WADA was made on February 15.
WADA had initially pursued a suspension of at least one year for the three-time Grand Slam champion. This was in response to a ruling made last year by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), which opted not to impose a ban, citing accidental contamination involving a prohibited anabolic steroid discovered in Sinner’s sample from March.
Sinner’s defense — that trace amounts of Clostebol found in his system were due to a massage from a trainer who had used the substance after injuring his finger — had been accepted as plausible.
Thankfully, this recent development means that the 23-year-old competitor will not miss any Grand Slam events, with the next major competition, the French Open, commencing on May 25.
In the previous year, Novak Djokovic claimed the Laureus Sportsman of the Year award for 2023, while Spanish football sensation Aitana Bonmatí was honored as the best sportswoman.
The list of nominees for the upcoming awards will be unveiled in Madrid on Monday.
