Nadal on Sinner: “I don’t believe that Sinner has ever wanted to dope”

On Monday night, Rafael Nadal gave an in-depth interview to ‘El Hormiguero‘ about his own career, rivalries, Olympic results, and the current tennis scene.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion has not played a professional match since the Paris Olympics, where he lost in the second round to Novak Djokovic (6-1, 6-4) and in the quarter-finals of the men’s doubles alongside Carlos Alcaraz.

Nadal was asked about the controversy surrounding world No 1 Jannik Sinner failing two separate doping test in March, which was only revealed five months later. Ultimately, a tribunal found the Italian to have no fault or negligence in the case.

The Spaniard made his view on the situation clear, and sided with the various bodies that ruled in Sinner’s favour:

“I have a virtue or a deficit, which is that in the end I usually believe in people’s good faith. I know Sinner, I don’t believe that Sinner has ever wanted to dope. I don’t think we have to like it only when it is resolved in the way we think. In the end, justice is justice and I believe in justice. I believe in the bodies that have to make decisions and that really make them based on what they believe is right.”

I don’t believe that Sinner has ever wanted to dope

The 14-time Roland Garros champion also addressed allegations that Sinner was given preferential treatment, able to keep his failed tests out of the public eye until the appeal was over:

“I’m totally confident that if he has not been sanctioned it is because those who have had to judge this case have seen very clearly that there were no sanctions to be imposed. I do not believe that because he is Sinner he will not be sanctioned and because he is someone else he will be sanctioned. I really believe it and I am convinced of it. Afterwards, the opinion of others is also totally respectable. But, well, this is my opinion.”

I do not believe that because he is Sinner he will not be sanctioned

Nadal is due to next play at the Laver Cup, which takes place from September 20th-22nd and features players such as Carlos Alcaraz, Danill Medvedev, Taylor Fritz, among others.

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