Talented Teens Make It Fantastic February after Shock Sinner Ban Deal
By ATF Team
The start to the 2025 season has been nothing less than a roller coaster for world tennis. If the three-month ban deal between world number one Jannik Sinner and WADA created shock waves and divided the tennis world, there were exhilarating on-court performances by a few youngsters, who gave a glimpse of what lies ahead this season.
They challenged the might of the established stars, striving to create their own space on the demanding ATP and WTA Tours.
The Asian Tennis Federation takes a re-look at the whirlwind February:
Sinner banned for three months
A few days after his Australian Open victory, the Italian world number one Jannik Sinner was banned for three months by WADA on February 15 after finding traces of banned Clostebol (a banned anabolic steroid) during two dope tests last year.
But the world anti-doping body maintained that Sinner did not intend to cheat, accepting that the substance found in his body was due to negligence of his support staff.
WADA’s general counsel Ross Wenzel said it was a case which was “a million mile away from doping”.
While WADA was pushing for a long duration ban, a deal was struck between Sinner’s legal team and the WADA.
The high-profile case, naturally, evoked mixed responses with a few saying that favoritism was at play with WADA not going hard at the three-time Grand Slam champion and others saying that it was fair and we should move forward.
Sinner will now be out of action from February 9 to May 4, which means he won’t miss any Major tournament.
This was second high-profile doping case in tennis after Iga Swaitek was handed a one-month suspension, last year.
Overnight stardom for Brazilian teen Joao Fonesca
By winning the 2023 junior US Open, Fonesca, the teen sensation from Brazil, had provided enough glimpses of his tennis talent. He further established his progress when he made the NextGen Finals.
Then at the Australian Open, Fonesca shocked Andrey Rublev in his opening round.
His sensational run at Argentina Open in Buenos Aires made him the youngest South American to win a singles title on the ATP Tour. With his 6-4 7-6(1) victory over Francisco Cerundolo in the title clash made Fonesca a darling of the tennis world, the brightest talent among youngsters.
At 18, he was also the 10th youngest ever to win an ATP singles title in history and only the third 18-year-old to do so after Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, making him a super star.
Andreeva and Tauson take women’s tennis by storm in Dubai
At the start of the WTA 1000 event in Dubai, no one had even in wildest of dreams thought that tournament will throw two giant killers. A draw which had multiple Grand Slam champions, it was 17-year-old Andreeva who grabbed the winner’s trophy.
One one side of the draw, Andreeva was toppling one after another super star and on the other it was Denmark’s 22-year-old Tauson.
Andreeva scalped 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina and followed that up with a sensational win over world numner two Iga Swiatek.
Tauson knocked out formidable, world number one and and easily the toughest opponent in Aryna Sabalenka.
The women’s tennis relished the rise of Andreeva, the youngest champion at a 1000 event. While her range of strokes, steely resolve and calm demeanour enthralled the fans, her off-court child-like innocence was equally enchanting.
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