Jannik Sinner's doping cloud: Why World No.1 is facing suspension after Australian Open final

Tennis fans are calling out the great "shame" of Jannik Sinner's march into the Australian Open final, given anything he achieves in Melbourne will be clouded by a possible suspension. The World No.1 proved way too good for Ben Shelton on Friday night, demolishing the American 7-6 (7-2) 6-2 6-2.

Sinner looks the man to beat at Melbourne Park and is the favourite to defend his Australian Open title ahead of the final against Alexander Zverev. But his campaign in Australia is shrouded in controversy, with a doping saga hanging over his head and a hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport set down for April.

The World Anti-Doping Agency has appealed against the International Tennis Federation's decision not to ban the Italian star after he twice tested positive for the anabolic steroid clostebol last March. Sinner successfully argued that he was unintentionally given the steroid via a spray that his now-sacked physio applied to his own finger.

Because the physio wasn't wearing gloves he accidentally transferred the banned drug into Sinner's system via a skin condition on the tennis star's back. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) accepted that version of events after Sinner successfully appealed two provisional suspensions and was allowed to keep playing.

Jannik Sinner facing possible two-year suspension

But WADA has since taken action to appeal, and Sinner will front the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland in April - with a possible two-year suspension hanging over his head. WADA has accepted that Sinner didn't intentionally dope, but claims he was negligent and responsible for the actions of everyone on his team.

Sinner went on to win the US Open last September after details of his case were revealed, and the 23-year-old has faced scepticism from fellow players. Aussie firebrand Nick Kyrgios has previously labelled it a "disgusting" look for tennis that Sinner and women's star Iga Swiatek have both tested positive in recent times. WADA recently announced it won't appeal the one-month ban Swiatek received when she inadvertently ingested a banned drug via a supplement that had been contaminated.

Jannik Sinner admits doping cloud has taken its toll

Speaking before the tournament kicked off, Sinner admitted the whole saga was weighing on his mind. "Yeah, you think about this, of course. I would lie if I would tell you I forget. No, it's not like this," Sinner told reporters. "It's something that I have with me now already for quite a long time, but it is what it is. I'm here trying to prepare for the grand slam. Let's see how it goes."

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Kyrgios has been scathing in his comments, saying: "I'm very confident in myself that I'm not going to be accidentally putting something in my system. Two World No.1s both getting done for doping is disgusting for our sport. It's a horrible look. Tennis integrity right now, and everyone knows it, but no one wants to speak about it, it's awful."

Every time Sinner and Swiatek have won at the Australian Open there have been inevitable comments on social media about their doping cases. And one pundit summed it up on Wednesday night, writing: "Sinner is just too good. Shame anything he wins will be clouded by the doping circus he’s currently in."

Whether he wins the Australian Open or not, the result will look a whole lot different in a few months' time after the CAS hearing. For now, the majority of tennis fans are marvelling at how well he's been playing as he bids to defend the crown he won 12 months ago in Melbourne.