World No. 1 Jannik Sinner will go to sport’s highest court in April for the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) appeal. This appeal seeks to ban him from tennis for at least one year.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said that on Friday it scheduled a closed-doors hearing on April 16-17, 2025 at its headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland. WADA is challenging the decision last year by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) under which Sinner faced no suspension.

Jannik Sinner tested positive twice in March 2024 for trace amounts of clostebol, a banned anabolic steroid. The doping controversy arose after the Indian Wells tournament.

Jannik Sinner’s defense was that the positive tests resulted from unintentional contamination through his physiotherapist’s use of a topical ointment containing clostebol. An independent tribunal accepted Sinner’s explanation in August 2024, clearing him of any wrongdoing.

Jannik Sinner had a phenomenal 2024 season. He started the year by winning his first Grand Slam at the Australian Open. In this tournament he defeated the defending champion Novak Djokovic and then Daniil Medvedev in the final.

Jannik Sinner followed this up with triumphs at the US Open and ATP Finals, becoming the first player to win all three tournaments in a single season since Novak Djokovic in 2021. Sinner also secured victories at the Indian Wells, Miami Open, Madrid Open and Shanghai Masters. He ended the season with the World No. 1 ranking for the first time.

The Italian will be looking to defend his Australian Open title with the tournament starting in a few days. Sinner will face strong competition from the likes of Novak Djokovic who has hired Andy Murray as his coach, and Carlos Alcaraz who is eyeing to become the youngest man to achieve the career Grand Slam.

In the first round of the Australian Open 2025, Jannik Sinner is set to face Chilean Nicolas Jarry. This match will take place on 13th January 2025.