Tennis world number one Jannik Sinner receives doping ban

Sinner had been cleared of any wrongdoing over two positive drugs test last year

World number one Jannik Sinner has been banned from tennis for three months after reaching a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada).

The 23-year-old Italian, who won the Australian Open just last month, will be suspended from the sport from February 9 to May 4.

This means he will be able to return in time for the next Grand Slam of the year, the French Open.

The ban is in relation to two positive drugs tests Sinner returned last year.

Sinner tested positive for low levels of a metabolite of clostebol - a steroid that can be used to build muscle mass - during Indian Wells.

In August last year he was cleared of any wrongdoing by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) and avoided a suspension.

But Wada appealed this decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and wanted him to be banned for two years.

However, it has now accepted that the three-time Grand Slam champion "did not intend to cheat", that the drug "did not provide any performance-enhancing benefit" and this happened "without his knowledge as the result of negligence of members of his entourage."

The body has accepted his explanation that he was inadvertently contaminated with the banned substance clostebol by his physiotherapist whilst he was treating a a cut on his hand with an over-the-counter spray, the BBC reports.

In a statement, Wada said:  "However, under the code and by virtue of Cas precedent, an athlete bears responsibility for the entourage's negligence. Based on the unique set of facts of this case, a three-month suspension is deemed to be an appropriate outcome."

In a statement released by his lawyers, Sinner said: "This case had been hanging over me for nearly a year and the process still had a long time to run with a decision maybe only at the end of the year.

"I have always accepted that I am responsible for my team and realise Wada's strict rules are an important protection for the sport I love. On that basis I have accepted Wada's offer to resolve these proceedings on the basis of a three-month sanction."

The next tournament Sinner will be able to play in is the Italian Open, which begins on May 7.

Whilst he will return in time for the next major at Roland Garros, the Italian will miss prestigious hard court tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami, along with almost all the clay tournaments ahead of the French Open.