Jannik Sinner starts to face ripple effects of three-month ban

World No. 1 Jannik Sinner put together one of the greatest seasons in tennis history in 2024 — a 73-6 record (92.4% win rate), two majors, eight overall ATP titles and $19.7M in prize money.

Yet the Italian won't be recognized for his accomplishments at the world's most prestigious sports award ceremony. On Thursday, The Laureus World Sports Academy issued a statement announcing it had withdrawn Sinner from consideration for World Sportsman of the Year due to his ongoing three-month doping ban from WADA. 

"We have followed this case, the decisions of the relevant global bodies and — whilst we note the extenuating circumstances involved — feel that the three-month ban renders the nomination ineligible. Jannik and his team have been informed," chairman Sean Fitzpatrick said in the statement.

In a roundabout way, Laureus is failing to acknowledge Sinner's achievements, which is ironic since his wins still count in the record books — unlike the extreme case of Lance Armstrong who was stripped of all his Tour de France titles and Laureus honors.

Even before Sinner accepted a three-month ban from WADA, it was confirmed that he lost ATP points (and prize money) only for his semi-final result at the 2024 Indian Wells, the event preceding his positive test for clostebol. As such, he was never in danger of being stripped of his achievements — even if he received a harsher ban.   

Sinner was essentially cleared of any wrongdoing by WADA, which said in a statement that Sinner "did not intend to cheat" and that his exposure to a banned substance occurred "without his knowledge as the result of the negligence of members of his entourage." 

It doesn't make sense for Laureus to withdraw Sinner from consideration, but he likely won't lose any sleep over the decision. With his suspension ending on May 9, he is eligible to play the 2025 French Open which gets underway on May 25.