Jannik Sinner's 'mind-boggling' prize money since his failed drug tests is revealed

Jannik Sinner has had the best year of his career so far, yet many believe he should have been sidelined for much of 2024 after failing two drug tests in March.

Sinner tested positive for an anabolic steroid twice in March, but on August 20 an independent tribunal ruled that he was not to blame and imposed no punishment.

The tribunal accepted Sinner’s explanation that the banned substance entered his body as a result of a massage from his physiotherapist, who had used a spray containing the steroid to treat a cut on their finger.

But WADA has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and is seeking to impose a ban of up to two years on the 23-year-old Italian after their appeal was lodged last month.

A WADA statement said: “WADA considers that the finding of ‘no fault or negligence’ was incorrect under the applicable rules.

“WADA aims for a period of exclusion of one to two years. WADA does not seek disqualification from any results other than those already imposed by the tribunal of first instance.”

Sinner may have expected to be suspended from tennis after failing a doping test, but he was allowed to continue and won the Miami Open title in his first event after being notified by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) brought about the incident.

The win earned him prize money of $1,100,000 and he backed that up by collecting €274,425 after a run to the semi-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters and €161,995 from his quarter-final run at the Madrid Masters.

He won €650,000 with a semi-final appearance at the French Open, €421,790 for winning the court tournament in Halle and £375,000 with a quarter-final appearance at Wimbledon.

Prize money of $170,940 went to Sinner in a quarterfinal appearance at the Canadian Open in August and he received $1,049,460 for winning the Cincinnati Masters and $3,600,000 for his victory at the US Open.

A defeat to Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the China Open saw him add $374,340 to his total, while $1,100,000 came his way after a victory at the Shanghai Masters.

Add to that the $6 million he collected for his Six Kings Slam victory in Saudi Arabia and he has earned a whopping $13,970,000 since failing a drug test at the Indian Wells Masters tournament eight months ago.

If Sinner was ruled out while waiting for a ruling from the ITIA on his case, as many players have happened after failing a drug test, he would have returned to action at the US Open.

Yet Sinner’s reputation and potential earnings for 2024 would have taken a hit had he served a drug ban, with the life-changing amount of money he has won this year underscoring the importance of the ITIA’s decision to allow him to continue playing. was for the short and long term history of tennis.

WADA’s appeal ensures this explosive saga will continue into 2025, with Sinner now revealing for the first time just how big of a role it played on him.

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Now Siner has given his verdict on the events of recent months, as his interview with Italy’s Sky Sport Uno, which was recorded last month, has now been released.

“A lot of things happened during this time that I tried to put aside and understand what was the right thing to do at the time,” Sinner said.

“I’m talking about myself now, I have to thank my team who were close to me all the time because I needed it. For example, Darren did not go home to Australia, but came to me, he was with me, my father came. Thanks to them I felt safe. Protected.

“And it is precisely for this reason when I say that when you win tournaments or even matches that mean a lot, I always dedicate them to the people close to me, because without them I don’t know how I could have overcome all the problems. this.

“I’m happy with the way I handled it because it was very difficult. But the moment I step onto the court and put on my cap, only the tennis ball exists for me.

“I feel safe on the field. Then we saw that it is difficult to play like that, but that is another matter. But I feel safe.

“When I see the ball and am about to serve, all my focus and desire is to hit the ball on the court. Because ultimately it is my work and my passion. The problem and the work had to be separated.”

Sinner further revealed that his anxiety reached boiling point the night before he faced Daniil Medvedev in the Wimbledon quarter-finals in July as he struggled to make it to the end of the match due to physical problems.

“I have always tried to feel good on the court, I have always trained, I have always mentally prepared myself to play good tennis and in the end that is exactly why I have succeeded. Also because this is the most important thing: if I had known it was my fault, in my opinion I would not have played like that.

“It was hard first of all because I couldn’t open up to a lot of people,” he added. “It was a very complicated period because I didn’t know how to behave personally, I didn’t know what would come out of it, I didn’t know what would happen to the team.

“It was very difficult, normally I am always in control, and instead it was quite easy to lose control.

“After a few weeks, I woke up one morning and said, ‘I didn’t do anything wrong.’ I didn’t know anything, so for me it was already over. What comes out of the court, what may or may not come out, is ultimately out of my control, right?”

“Of course it was complicated when I knew it, but nothing had come of it yet.”