Mats Wilander has criticised the process surrounding Jannik Sinner’s anti-doping ruling, claiming there is a lack of professionalism in doping organisations which can create “unfair” outcomes for players.

The ITIA ruled that Sinner was given a contaminated product by his physiotherapist to treat a cut on his hand and said the Italian bears “no fault or negligence”.

Wilander, a former world No. 1 and seven-time Grand Slam champion, was relieved that Sinner was not banned over the failed tests and called the situation a “complete accident”.

“We’re so glad to have Jannik Sinner still playing on tour,” Wilander said in an interview with Eurosport. “He’s a great guy. He’s really, really good for the game. The rivalry with him and Carlos Alcaraz is epic already. And I’m convinced, 100%, that this was a complete accident by Jannik and his team. Of course.

“But anytime there is a banned substance in any of the medicine bags of doctors or physio, you would have to wonder, like, what are they doing? Why is it so hard to find out?

“And that’s obviously where the mistake is made, where the people that are in charge of players need to be more rehearsed, they need to read more, they need to be ultra, ultra careful, because obviously, it can destroy a player’s career.”

Wilander labelled Sinner “one of the most fair tennis players that we’ve ever seen”, but was far from impressed by the way things were handled by the ITIA.

He said the “terrible” process, from the testing to the unprofessionalism from doping organisations, can have dire consequences for players’ careers.

“The process is obviously terrible, because if you can test for something and get a result that is so small, I mean, a billionth of a gram, I mean, there’s literally nothing.

“But if you can be that good at testing, surely you have to be that good when it comes to the process, because not only would you destroy a player’s career, but you could destroy the country in terms of bringing up tennis players. And Italy is doing great. So that’s why we’re lucky that Jannik has been able to keep playing.

“The professionalism is not good in terms of the doping organisations. They have to get it right. And it’s unfair. And obviously, it’s nothing to do with Jannik, but it’s unfair to all the other players that have got caught and then have been cleared. That it was a result of a positive test, but they never did anything, and that’s been proven in so many cases.

“So you understand when some players come out and sort of say, ‘yeah, sure, sure, he didn’t do it, or whatever’, but I think that we know that Jannik Sinner is one of the most fair tennis players that we’ve ever seen.”

Wilander also questioned inconsistencies in the processes for different athletes, with players like Simona Halep – who also failed a doping test in 2022 and was handed a heavy suspension – seemingly receiving different treatment from the ITIA.

The ITIA was proactive and public about Halep’s case, while Sinner’s situation was not made public until this week despite failing his doping test in March.

“Does it have anything to do with him being number one in the world? Possibly,” Wilander said. “And if it’s possible that it does, that makes it even worse.

“I mean, if it was just a random situation where for one player it is public, the next player it isn’t public, and it could be that the result is not 100%, that it’s very vague. We don’t want to make it public until we have tested the second time and we have done some investigation.”

Wilander said the controversy surrounding Sinner has created a “terrible situation” ahead of next week’s US Open, the final Grand Slam of the year. 

He explained: “We are talking about it now just a couple of days before the US Open, which is a huge tournament in our men’s game right now, straight after the Olympics. Can Novak Djokovic win his next major? 

“And we’re talking about Jannik Sinner and his doctor and the process. So, for me, it’s a terrible situation. I’m glad that Jannik is allowed to play, but the process is terrible.”