Andrey Rublev claims ‘anti-doping system should be a little more understandable’ in Jannik Sinner case
Andrey Rublev has defended World No.1 Jannik Sinner, who he claims has been ‘super impressive’ despite his ongoing doping case.
Sinner tested positive for the banned substance clostebol back in March, twice within an eight day period, but was cleared of any wrongdoing by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) on the grounds of contamination and avoided any suspension at the time.
Although, the World No.1 did have to forgo the 400 ranking points and $320,000 he earned for reaching the Indian Wells semi-final, when the positive test was taken.
The case is still far from over, after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed the ITIA’s decision and revealed that they were seeking a ban of between one and two years for Sinner.
WADA appeals case of tennis player Jannik Sinner. Read more here: https://t.co/vExHGdmkZG
— WADA (@wada_ama) September 28, 2024
There has been a lot of differing opinions on this case, and now Rublev has told Eurosport what he thinks about the current anti-doping process, “You wouldn’t wish that on any player. I can’t imagine the stress or anxiety he [Sinner] felt during that whole period. He handled it very well, he continued to play at his best and still managed to dominate the circuit and win titles. It’s very impressive.”
The Russian added, “I think the anti-doping system should be a little more understandable. In tennis, the rules are super strict, more so than in other sports. I feel that every little mistake, even when it’s not intentional, can threaten your career.”
Rublev finished the year ranked at World No.8, after a mixed season that was highlighted by winning his second Masters 1000 title in Madrid and qualifying for the ATP Finals for a fifth consecutive year.
The 27-year-old is also the only player to have beaten both Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in 2024, and explained what he needs to improve to be more consistently at the top of the sport.
“There’s a bit of everything. The main aspect is of course mental, but there are also a lot of aspects of my game (to improve),” said Andrey Rublev. “I’m in the top 10, but I’m one of the worst players at the net! The other players in the top 10 manage to return balls from difficult positions; mine sometimes land outside the court.
“So I try to work on these kinds of details, I dedicate more time to them than before. In the past, I was only obsessed with my forehand; today, I’m a little more open to working on other things in training.”
Rublev will look to put these improvements to test in Hong Kong, where he begins his 2025 season as the defending champion.
Inside the baseline…
Whatever you think about Jannik Sinner and his specific doping case, it is undoubtedly an incredible feat to have enjoyed such an impressive and dominant season with all of that continuing to go on. Sinner does not know if he will even be able to play all of next season, but still continues to play such incredible tennis week-in-and-week-out. However, it feels like the whole anti-doping system does need an overhaul, but mostly to help even the playing field for lower ranked players on both the ATP and WTA Tour. In terms of Andrey Rublev and his 2024 season, we all know how much of a threat he can be, but it has been quite uncomfortable to watch him at times this year given his quite violent outbursts towards himself, so that is definitely something that needs to be improved next year.
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