'They allowed him to play during the investigation' - Andrey Rublev points out preferential treatment during Jannik Sinner's doping case

Although the saga involving Jannik Sinner and his violation of anti-doping policy is now behind us, there are still some rumblings from players and fans regarding the Italian's lenient treatment during the matter.

The World No.1 tested positive for Clostebol during last year's Indian Wells event, and he was eventually handed a three-month ban from February till the end of April 2025 following a lengthy, drawn out investigation. There were several different opinions on the matter, with some players like Nick Kyrgios demanding Sinner get a stricter sentence while others called for more transparency in how player doping cases were handled by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) and World Anti Doping Agency (WADA).

Rublev believes Sinner's case was given special treatment

World No.15 Andrey Rublev was slated to face Sinner in the fourth round of the 2025 Roland Garros event. Prior to their encounter, the Russian was asked for his opinion on how Sinner's case was handled.

Rublev would respond by saying there was a clear difference between the governing bodies dealings with Sinner, versus other tennis stars who had been found guilty of doping violations. The Hamburg finalist would list former WTA No.1 Simona Halep and American ATP player Jenson Brooksby as examples.

"In general, it's not even a question of Jannik's case specifically," said Rublev in an interview with BB Tennis. "It's more that the system of doping detecting itself is probably wrong.
"You can't even make a small mistake, take Russian guys for example. Or take others like Brooksby and Ymer. They were suspended because they simply missed the doping test three times. It was not a question of positive or negative test. They forgot to fill out the doping forms and therefore missed it three times. As a result they were suspended for two years without trial. It was truly a harsh decision."

"In Sinner's case, they did everything quickly. They allowed him to play during the investigation. In contrast we have the Halep's case, how long did she wait for the investigation to start. She couldn't play for a year or something. That's the problem, it should not be that way in my opinion."

Rublev would go on to face Sinner in their fourth round clash, but the Australian Open champion was ruthless, scoring an easy 6-1 6-3 6-4 win over the Russian. Sinner has looked unstoppable since his return from suspension, and the World No.1 seems set to prove a point as he continues his quest for his first French Open title.