Why wasn't Sinner suspended?

Questions raised after two positive steroid tests from No. l-ranked player

- HOWARD FENDRICH

Jannik Sinner is is 48-5 this season with a tour-leading five titles; his most recent championship came at the Cincinnati Open on Monday.

No. 1-ranked men’s tennis player Jannik Sinner will be playing in the U.S. Open — which begins in New York next week — even though word just emerged that he tested positive twice in March for a banned anabolic steroid.

It’s a case that no one knew about until Tuesday and one that has drawn all sorts of questions — and, in some instances, criticism — from other players who wonder whether there was a double standard at play because of Sinner’s success, are confused about why this was all kept under wraps, and want to know why Sinner was allowed to keep competing before there was a resolution.

Not everyone is completely ready to just move forward. And it will be interesting to see how much scrutiny Sinner receives — from other athletes, from spectators, from the media — during the year’s last Grand Slam tournament, where he will be the top-seeded man.

“Different rules for different players,” Canadian and 2021 Wimbledon semifinalist Denis Shapovalov wrote on social media.