ROMA – Janic Thinner considered taking a long break from tennis before accepting a three-month doping ban in a settlement with the world’s doping agency earlier this year.
In an interview with Italian state television RAI, the top ranked sinner replied “Yes.”
“I remember that before Australians opened this year, it wasn’t a very happy time,” Sinner said. “I wasn’t really comfortable in the locker room we were eating. The players looked at me differently. But I didn’t want (no) to do so.”
Thinner won his second Australian Open title in January.
It wasn’t until February that Washui was settled in the doping case after the International Tennis Integrity Agency last year to exonerate offenders of what was deemed an accidental contamination by anabolic steroids that was banned in March 2024.
“I have had a hard time accepting the last three months. I knew there was nothing wrong, so why should I pay this price?” the sinner said. “But then we discussed with my lawyer and what happened in the worst case scenario, so we decided to accept that.”
The handling of crime cases raised questions regarding double standards. The positive tests were not published until August. Because the sinner succeeded in not being tentatively banned from playing. He then won the US Open in September.
The settlement also raised questions as the sinner could return at his home tournament, which is in Italy’s opening next week.
“Last year was definitely very stressful,” Thinner said in an interview. This aired late Tuesday. “But we still managed to get incredible results. We started off really well this year too. Then what happened, what happened happened. At first, it was a bit strange to find ourselves in that situation.
Several top players suggested that the sinner was treated too lightly.
“I don’t even want to respond. Everyone is free to say what they want. The important thing to me is that I know what happened,” Thinner said. “I don’t want innocent people to go through what I have experienced.”
Thinner continued to top rankings during bans despite playing one tournament this year.
“I miss the competition,” Thinner said. “I’m so happy that this period is over and I’m ready to play again.”