Roger Federer believes Jannik Sinner’s doping case casts doubts about whether the current No. 1-ranked tennis player should have been allowed to continue competing while awaiting the resolution of his intentional use of an anabolic steroid, for which he tested positive twice in March.
“It’s not something we want to see in our sport – these types of news, regardless of whether he did something or not, or any player did. It’s just noise that we don’t want. I understand the frustration of whether he has been treated the same as others. And I think this is where it comes down to. We all trust pretty much, at the end, that he didn’t do anything,” Federer said Tuesday on the “Today” show while promoting a photo book. “But the inconsistency, potentially, that he didn’t have to sit out while they were not 100 percent sure what was going on – I think that’s the question here that needs to be answered.”
Hours later Tuesday night, Federer received a warm ovation from the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium when introduced during the second set of the U.S. Open quarterfinal between Aryna Sabalenka and Zheng Qinwen.
Federer smiled and waved as he appeared on the videoboards in the arena. It was the 20-time Grand Slam champion’s first visit to the venue since he stopped competing. Federer announced his retirement in 2022; he played his last official match at Wimbledon the year before.
He is the last man to win consecutive titles at the U.S. Open, capturing five in a row from 2004 to 2008.
Several top players have been asked about Sinner, who is scheduled to face 2021 U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev in the Grand Slam tournament’s quarterfinals on Wednesday.
Rafael Nadal told a Spanish television show on Monday that he doesn’t believe Sinner received preferential treatment.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency said on Aug. 20 that it had determined the banned performance enhancer inadvertently entered Sinner’s system through a massage from his physiotherapist, which is why the player was not suspended.
Asked about the matter in New York before the U.S. Open began, Novak Djokovic said he understands why some tennis players question whether there’s a double standard in the sport.
“It’s a tricky situation and it’s the nightmare of every athlete and team to have these allegations and these problems,” Federer said. “We need to trust the process as well of everyone involved.”
Federer also mentioned a recent conversation with Nadal, his longtime on-court rival and off-court friend, who is 38 and has played sparingly the last two seasons due to injuries, including a hip operation last year. Nadal is sitting out the U.S. Open.
There are questions about whether Nadal, who has won 22 Grand Slam titles, will return to the tour.
“He can do whatever he wants,” Federer said. “He’s been one of the most iconic tennis players we’ve ever had in our sport. … I just hope he can go out on his terms and the way he wants to.”
