Jannik Sinner reacts as WADA confirms appeal in the middle of his China Open match | Tennis | sport

Jannik Sinner said he was “very disappointed” that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) had appealed against him to avoid a ban for his failed doping test. The news broke during the Italian’s round of 16 win against Roman Safiullin, where he won for the second time in a row after coming from a set down.

But shortly after his 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 win, the top seed came under pressure over the developments and WADA said it wanted a ban of between one and two years for the 23-year-old.

And Sinner did not hide his displeasure, pointing out that the International Tennis Integrity Unit had already released him from any responsibility for his test result

“Well, we can’t control everything,” he said when asked about the timing of the announcement. “Of course I am very disappointed and, to be honest, surprised by this appeal because we had three hearings. All three hearings were very positive for me.”

“You know, I wasn’t expecting that. I knew a few days ago that they were going to appeal, that today it becomes official. But yes, it’s a surprise. We always talk about the same thing.”

The reigning Australian Open and US Open champion also suggested that WADA was simply trying to act out of a sense of duty, adding: “Maybe they just want to make sure everything is in the right position.”

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