Defending champion Janik Siner will likely defend his title at the Australian Open, scheduled from January 12th to 25th. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has announced its working calendar until February 11th, and the list does not include the „doping case“ of the Italian tennis player, so there is a high probability that he will compete against Novak Djokovic in Melbourne next year.
Just to remind, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) two months ago appealed the decision of the International Tennis Integrity Unit (ITIA) for the light punishment given to Janik Siner for two positive doping tests in March.
On the occasion, Siner was stripped of the points he won in Indian Wells, as well as the earnings from the tournament, and due to the really lenient punishment compared to, for example, Simona Halep’s, WADA requested a suspension for the world number one for a period of one to two years.
According to official data, Siner is not directly responsible for the traces of the unauthorized substance (clostebol) found in his bloodstream, as all blame fell on his physiotherapist. However, regardless of this detail, the World Anti-Doping Agency demanded that Siner take full responsibility, as he is also responsible for the actions of the members of his technical team.
After the WADA appeal, the decision of the court in Lausanne was supposed to be announced at the end of December. Then it was postponed until the beginning of 2025, while the latest information indicates that the fate of the Italian will only be considered after the Grand Slam in Australia. This indirectly means that we will see him again in Melbourne, which is not good news for Novak Djokovic, who considers it his favorite tournament. At least according to the number (10) of trophies won.
