Toni Nadal calls out ‘not-so-clean players’ for taking shots at Jannik Sinner

Toni Nadal has waded into the debate surrounding Jannik Sinner’s three-month ban, and he’s made it clear that he’s not a fan of seeing the world No. 1 on the sidelines.

The Italian player has been the focus of scrutiny ever since it was revealed that he failed two doping tests last March, testing positive for clostebol, an anabolic steroid. Though an independent tribunal initially found that he bore no fault or negligence for the accidental contamination, an appeal by WADA sought to hold Sinner responsible for the actions of his team, resulting in a settlement.

Read More: Jannik Sinner gets three-month ban in settlement of doping case

But according to Nadal, the uncle and longtime coach of 22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal, even that compromise was too harsh, as the Mallorcan claimed Sinner clearly “had no intention of wrongdoing.”

“I've said it many times before and explained it: I am against the sanction,” Nadal said according to Marca. He was speaking at an event where he announced Casper Ruud, Nick Kyrgios and Gael Monfils’ participation in the Mallorca Championships, an ATP 250 grass-court event.

I'm surprised that different players have taken a stance against him, including some at the highest level—and even some who are not so clean themselves. Toni Nadal

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“I personally know Sinner, and he had no intention of wrongdoing,” Nadal continued. “You can't treat someone like that over a mistake that happened by chance. You can't have this urge to police and punish everything.

“Sanctions should be given to those who intentionally do things wrong for personal gain. And I know that's not the case with Sinner. I know he didn’t gain anything from what they found. So why do you want to punish him?”

Nadal’s comments fan the flames of an increasingly polarizing issue in tennis—either the suspension is too harsh, or not harsh enough. Last week, when news of Sinner’s settlement with WADA was announced, several ATP and WTA players expressed their shock and skepticism in social media posts and in comments to press.

“I don’t believe in a clean sport anymore,” three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka lamented on X, while Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios called it “a sad day for tennis.” When asked at the WTA 1000 event in Dubai, players like Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula called for more transparency in anti-doping protocols, with the latter declaring that “the process is completely broken.”

Read More: Jannik Sinner ban sparks anti-doping debate among WTA players in Dubai

Nadal, however, cautioned the top players who have spoken out with an ominous warning:

“It’s true that some say others who weren’t ranked No. 1 received sanctions, but those cases were handled poorly before,” Nadal said. “I'm surprised that different players have taken a stance against him, including some at the highest level—and even some who not so clean themselves.”

Nadal, who has also previously coached Felix Auger-Aliassime, is the tournament director for the ATP Mallorca event in June and head coach at the Rafa Nadal Academy.