Rafael Nadal doesn't believe Jannik Sinner received preferential treatment in doping saga: Here's why

Rafael Nadal was honored with the Sporting Icon Award at last week's Laureus World Sports Awards 2025. Following his retirement from the sport in November 2024, he was bestowed with this award for his numerous achievements over the past two decades.

Following the awards ceremony, Nadal sat down for an interview with CNN. One of the topics covered during this chat was the suspension of World No. 1 Jannik Sinner. He received a three-month ban earlier this year after testing positive for the banned anabolic steroid clostebol last year.

The Spaniard believes that Sinner is innocent in the matter and didn't want to break any rules. Furthermore, he felt that the 23-year-old didn't receive any preferential treatment during this whole fiasco.

"First of all, I 100% believe that Jannik is innocent. I don’t think at all that Jannik wanted to do something that is not allowed, so I 100% believe in Jannik. From my point of view, I really don’t believe that Jannik, because he’s the No. 1 in the world, received different treatment than another person, from my perspective and from my understanding," Nadal said.

Nadal is familiar with the anti-doping protocols and having dealt with the same for a couple of decades, he knows how strict the process is. He believes that the entire process works fairly, because anything contrary to it would mean that they're not living in a fair society.

"I really believe in the process, I have been there going through all the tests for 20 years, how the things are strict on every single movement … and I believe in the process. I can’t say another thing and I can’t think another way because, if not, I will think that we are not in a fair world, and I really believe that we are in a fair world in this matter," he continued.

Sinner's three-month ban will conclude on May 4, making him eligible to return at next week's Italian Open. The tournament was one of Nadal's favorite hunting grounds during his heyday, hoisting the winner's trophy a record 10 times. The 23-year-old will be bidding to kickstart his own era of dominance in his own backyard.

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Jannik Sinner looking to emulate Rafael Nadal with a title at the Italian Open

Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open 2025. (Photo: Getty)

Jannik Sinner's unbeaten start to the season came to a halt after he was banned for three months. He successfully defended his Australian Open title, extending his unbeaten run to 21 matches, dating back to his triumph at last year's Shanghai Masters. He has been on the sidelines since his victory in Melbourne and will return to the tour next week.

Despite being away from the tour for a while, Sinner will be one of the favorites to win the Italian Open given the current state of the tour. Carlos Alcaraz missed the Madrid Open due to an injury and may not compete in Rome. Alexander Zverev has been quite inconsistent in recent weeks, while Novak Djokovic has pulled out of the Italian Open.

Sinner will be keen to win his home tournament and stamp his authority in Rome in the coming years like Rafael Nadal did. His best result at the venue has been a quarterfinal showing in 2022, something he will be keen to amend with a deep run this time.