CNN
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Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal only spoke to CNN Sports, where he fully trusts the world’s No. 1 Janik Thinner to be innocent, as Italians prepare to return from doping suspension.
The sinner is nearing the end of the three-month ban, where he tested twice for a banned substance Clostebol, an anabolic steroid, in March last year.
The three-time Grand Slam champion was previously spared from the ban when the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) decided it was not due to positive tests and accepted that the contamination was caused by the application of commercial sprays.
However, the World Anti-Doping Organization (WADA) later filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) and accepted the suspension from February 9th to May 4th.
In a February statement, the sinner said, “I always accept that my team is responsible,” but denied that he is constantly taking prohibited substances.
“First of all, I don’t have all the information, so I don’t have a clear opinion,” Nadal told CNN after winning the Sports Icon Award at this year’s Laureus World Sports Awards.
“First of all, I believe Jannik 100% is innocent. I believe in Jannik 100% because I don’t think Jannik wanted to do something that was not permitted.”
The saga around the sinners has highlighted tennis’s current anti-doping protocols, raising concerns about the possibility of top stars’ priority treatment.
For example, the sinner will not miss an event in the Grand Slam during his ban.
Recently, Serena Williams said that if the same thing happened to her, she was banned for “twenty years” and “the grand slam was taken away.” However, she described the sinner as “fantastic character” and “optimal for sports.”
Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic said the entire case was “not a good image for our sport.”
However, Nadal, who left tennis after a historic career last year, said he has full confidence in the current anti-doping system.
“From my perspective, I really don’t believe it because Giannik was treated differently from others because of his number one in the world,” the 22-time Grand Slam Singles champion said.
“I really believe in this process. I’ve been through 20 years of testing how strict every move is, and I believe in the process.
“I can’t say something else, I can’t think of something else because if not, I don’t think we’re in a fair world, and I really believe we’re in a fair world on this issue.”
Despite his ban, the sinner will become one of his favourites to win his first French open title when the tournament begins at the end of May.
Nadal, who won the record 14 Coupes de Masquetea at Roland Garros, said he hopes that the potential sinner’s victory will not be hurt by questions about his play eligibility.
However, in order for a sinner to claim the title, he must find a way to pass a way like Carlos Alcaraz, who first compared to Nadal.
Not only are they both come from Spain, but they are both formidable in clay, with Alcaraz winning his first French open title last year.
Retired with the 22 Grand Slam Singles Trophy, Nadal said the comparison is natural and holds high hopes that the 21-year-old will be able to reach the top of the sport.
“We’ve all been pressured by the media and by the hope that people have you, but at the end we’re humans and I think we know how to handle it,” Nadal told CNN.
“I don’t think it’s a big deal to hold that pressure for Carlos. He’s a great player and has a great family behind him (he).
“He’s doing great things, I think he has a great career and I’m going to win more if he’s injured. That’s the most important thing. I hope and I really believe he has one of the best careers ever.”
Nadal said he would occasionally send messages to Alkaraz, but he would always be on hand to provide some advice – he doesn’t think the young people need it.
This is an invitation the 38-year-old may want to expand to all players on the tour and casually learn from his own experiences.
But Nadal has so far resisted following those like Andy Murray, who began coaching after retiring from his playing career.
“In this life, you never say anything,” he said, adding that he enjoyed spending more time with his family without all the trips that come with being on the tour.
“It’s hard to imagine myself doing something like this right now… It’s not my moment. I’m in another moment in my life and I won’t travel with the players.”
Instead, Nadal is pleased to continue developing a tennis academy, which is beginning to breed success throughout the game, increasing the already impressive tennis legacy of the Spaniards.
And even after retiring, Nadal has not stopped picking up the trophies. In addition to being awarded the aforementioned Laureus Sporting Icon Award, the Spaniard will also be recognized at this year’s French Open ceremony.
“The outcome is the outcome. You know. I won what I won, I lost what I lost, that’s the outcome and no one can change it,” Nadal said he asks what he wants to remember for now that his playing days are behind him.
“Of course I am remembered as a great tennis player, but for me it is important to remember as a good person, a player who fights as hard as possible, but fights with positive values, as always as a fair and right person.
“That’s the most important thing for me.”
