The Laureus World Sports Academy has announced that world number one Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner has been excluded from the Sportsman of the Year nomination this year due to his doping case.

We have followed this case and the decisions of the relevant global bodies, and while we acknowledge the mitigating circumstances involved, we believe that the three-month suspension renders the nomination ineligible.

Sean Fitzpatrick, the Laureus Academy chairman

In 2024, the Italian athlete tested positive twice for a metabolite of clostebol. Previously, WADA announced Sinner's three-month suspension from February to May 2025.