Boris Becker recently reacted to Jannik Sinner being replaced by Casper Ruud at an upcoming tennis exhibition in Las Vegas. Sinner, the reigning ATP No. 1, is currently serving a three-month ban, which he agreed to with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) earlier this month.

On Thursday, February 20, the MGM Rewards Slam, scheduled to take place across March 1 and 2 at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, announced that Casper Ruud would be replacing Jannik Sinner in the star-studded exhibition lineup. Upon taking notice of the development, the legendary Boris Becker took to X (formerly Twitter) and suggested that the news was a positive one for Ruud and his finances.

“Good for him and his bank account!,” Becker wrote.

The MGM Rewards Slam lineup also features ATP stars Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul, and WTA icons Naomi Osaka and Aryna Sabalenka.

Jannik Sinner’s doping revelation in the buildup to the 2024 US Open caused significant controversy. The Italian, who had twice tested positive for the performance-enhancing, anabolic steroid Clostebol last year, was given the clean chit by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA). According to the ITIA’s ruling, Sinner himself was not at fault for the contamination.

The explanation provided by Sinner was that the contamination happened due to his physio massaging him without gloves. Based on the Italian’s account, his physio at the time was using a medication containing Clostebol to treat a cut on his finger, and the banned substance made its way into Sinner’s bloodstream through skin lesions on the ATP No. 1’s body.

WADA intervened later and appealed against the decision to let Sinner continue playing. The anti-doping body sought a ban of up to two years for Sinner, citing the Italian’s responsibility for the actions of his team members. The appeal was set for an April 2025 hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). However, the Italian and WADA came to a settlement, doing away with the scheduled CAS hearing.

Boris Becker was supportive of Jannik Sinner throughout the doping controversy, even as several other high-profile names in tennis called for the Italian to receive a strict punishment. Recently, the legendary German once again reiterated his support for the Italian after a WADA official spoke up about the three-month ban.

WADA General Counsel member Ross Wenzel recently opened up on Jannik Sinner’s ban in a BBC interview. Wenzel claimed that Sinner’s case was very different compared to cases involving intentional doping.

“This was a case that was a million miles away from doping. The scientific feedback that we received was that this could not be a case of intentional doping, including micro-dosing,” Wenzel told BBC.

Boris Becker later shared Wenzel’s take on X and once again stood by Sinner.

“Whoever is able to read the facts!,” Becker captioned his post.

The reigning ATP No. 1’s next competitive on-court outing is set to come in May at the 2025 Italian Open following the end of his suspension.