Billionaire businessman and former ATP player Ion Tiriac has proclaimed that tennis is “rigged to the core” after Jannik Sinner’s doping ban.
Sinner is serving a three-month suspension from tennis, with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announcing on February 15 that it had reached a deal with the world No 1’s legal team.
The Italian tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid clostebol twice in March 2024 — during and after the Indian Wells Masters.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) revealed in August that Sinner had avoided a ban after an independent tribunal ruled he carried “no fault or negligence.”
The tribunal accepted Sinner’s explanation that the substance had entered his body by accidental contamination when he received a massage from his former physio, who had used a spray containing the steroid to treat a cut on his finger.
However, WADA appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over the ITIA’s ruling in September, seeking to impose a ban of between one and two years on Sinner.
The case was scheduled to be heard at the CAS from April 16-17 until Sinner’s agreement with WADA.
The three-time Grand Slam champion’s suspension period runs from February 9 until May 4 (his ban also includes four days previously served while he was under a provisional suspension).
Sinner was forced to withdraw from the Qatar Open ATP 500 event last week, and he will also miss Masters 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo and Madrid.
The 23-year-old will not miss any Grand Slam tournaments, and he will be able to compete at the Italian Open, which begins three days after his ban expires.
In a letter written to L’Equipe, Tiriac explained why he thinks “cheating” in tennis has been “completely legalised” in reaction to Sinner’s case.
“There are thousands of athletes, and probably hundreds in my sport, tennis, who have up to 14 or 15 exceptions and still don’t test positive.
“It is deceiving the sport, deceiving oneself, deceiving other competitors and deceiving the public. The game is rigged, my friends, and rigged to the core.
“Where is sport going today? Nobody knows! If we allow these TUEs which can give a player an advantage of 10-20-30% compared to his competitor, what are the opponent’s chances?
“What is the reality that the viewer sees? How will the “clean” player train tomorrow after his defeat to improve?”
Tiriac played tennis from 1958 to 1979 and won the 1970 French Open doubles title with Romanian compatriot Ilie Nastase. He also coached a host of top ATP players, including Nastase, Boris Becker and Guillermo Vilas.
The Romanian, who owned the Madrid Masters tournament between 2009 and 2021, was ranked as the third-richest person in Romania — with a net worth of $1.6 billion — by Forbes in 2022.
