Amidst all the dust, all the noise and all the questioning, Jannik Sinner bursts into the conference room at Flushing Meadows in his own style, the same way he plays the ball: unfazed. And the number one delivers his plea, in a serious tone, not even half a smile this time, taking into account that on Tuesday the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced that the Italian had tested positive in an anti-doping test carried out last March during the Indian Wells tournament, California, which was finally resolved with the loss of the points obtained in that event (400) and nothing more; something like a slap on the wrist, absence of practical punishment, considering that the trace of clostebol, an anabolic steroid that can be purchased in Italian pharmacies for 12 euros and in cream or spray format, reached the tennis player’s body involuntarily, accidentally, as a result of a massage. Due to mere “contamination”, specifically. From physio to player, from hand to skin.
“This is not ideal before a Grand Slam. But, in my head, I know I haven’t done anything wrong. I’ve had to play for several months with this in my mind, but reminding myself that I haven’t really done anything wrong. I always respect the anti-doping rules, and I will always respect them. It’s obviously a relief for me that this is the result, and it feels good to be back in this incredible city. I’ll try to enjoy it as much as I can and hopefully have a good tournament,” he said to reporters in his most eagerly awaited speech, far above those that followed his triumph at the Australian Open, his first major, or his debut at the top in June, at Roland Garros. Accustomed to playing in a discreet second plane, with the Cartesian manual, Sinner, 22, is today the unfortunate name of the moment in tennis, despite the fact that in two days he will start this US Open.
And contrary to the current flurry of social media, which is always on the hunt for clicks, silence has prevailed so far. A few second-tier professionals (Shapovalov, Sandgren, Broady or Pouille) and the controversial Kygios have referred to the matter, but there is still no weighty opinion from any active figure. Yes, there is that of John McEnroe: “This news is surprising and shocking at this time, especially because it is known six months after it happened.” “There must be uniformity.” That is, the focus is primarily on the process. Why is the case coming to light half a year later? Why was the Italian allowed to continue competing for the last four months, while the Romanian Simona Halep (Raoxadustat, similar to EPO) was initially given a four-year penalty, which was finally reduced to nine months when the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) concluded that there was no intention on the part of the former number one?
The length of the investigation and the subsequent verdict is being argued by the ATP, where they are trembling in their offices because, after all, Sinner is the most powerful male player along with Carlos Alcaraz, and the beautiful two-way rivalry that the two talents have been building has been soiled against all odds. No one would have said so: Sinner, synonymous with professionalism, piecework and neatness. Of exemplary character. The resolution supports the tennis player’s argument, who maintains that the origin of the substance is exclusively due to a carelessness of his now ex-physiotherapist, Giacomo Naldi, who used the product to seal a cut on his hand and did not use gloves for the massage, but the doubt, logical and reasonable, is and will be there. The redhead from San Cándido will have to live with her, tutored from the bench by the Australian Darren Cahill – the same coach who led Halep to the top in 2017 and 2018 – and who during the last year has managed to grow physically, which has definitely sharpened her game and projected her resistance.
Physio and trainer fired
Now, both Naldi and Umberto Ferrara – the trainer and buyer of the spray – are out of the team, both fired after losing all confidence in Sinner and having failed, the latter reasons, resigned to what is coming and to the possibility that the episode could have caused irreparable damage to his image. “I have continued playing because in my head I know that I had not done anything wrong. I knew that I was clean and that I have always tried to be a fair player. With this news, obviously a few things change, but those who know me well know that I have not done and will never do anything against the rules. Here I also know who is my friend and who is not, because my friends know that I would never do something like that and they are still with me. As for reputation, we will see as time goes by, it is something that I cannot control,” he said during the press conference on Saturday, three days before he comes into action on Tuesday (around 8:00 p.m. Spanish time) against the local Mackenzie McDonald.
“It has been a very long process that starts with the mistake that they (Naldi and Ferrara) made. I have had to deal with this for months. I have had to make some decisions based on the decision (last-minute absence from the Olympics due to tonsillitis, according to the official version); there are dates that you have to respect throughout the process, so you cannot choose when it comes to light. In my head, as I have already said, I am happy that this has come out; it is a relief for me and for my team. The preparation for the tournament has not been perfect due to certain circumstances. But it has come out now. “It’s something I was waiting for and it’s what it is,” continues Sinner, who has won five trophies this season – in Australia, Rotterdam, Miami, Halle and recently in Cincinnati – and has established himself as the fiercest response to Novak Djokovic after Alcaraz.
“I am just a tennis player. I was happy to cooperate and to get the best possible result, knowing my innocence in this whole process,” he stresses. “The reason I was able to play is because we knew what the substance was and how it got into my body; this is very important, to let them know, and they (the investigators) understood it right away. They believed in me and in us, and that is why I was able to play. Of course I was worried because it was the first time for me, and hopefully the last, in this situation. There is a different part where we see that what I had in my body is 0.000000001, a lot of zeros before the one,” he adds before ending: “Every player who tests positive goes through the same process. There are no shortcuts, there are no different treatments, all the processes are the same. I understand the frustration of other players at times, but maybe they were suspended because they did not know exactly where it came from, or what the substance was.”
DJOKOVIC’S CAUTION
While the tournament workers were still putting the stage into shape, Djokovic trained for an hour with Dane Holger Rune. However, the 37-year-old Serb had to give up another session with the Nordic player due to physical discomfort.
The Belgrade native triumphed last year in New York, for the fourth time in his career, and this year he hopes to break away from Australian Margaret Court, with whom he shares the all-time record of majors (24). His last match coincides with the Olympic gold medal won in Paris on August 4.
On Wednesday he participated in an exhibition shared with Alcaraz, McEnroe and Andre Agassi, and will be the first male star to make his debut; he will do so on Monday (around 3.00) against Radu Albot, who came from the qualifying round. The Murcia native, for his part, will do so on Tuesday (around 1.00) against the Australian Li Tu, ranked 188th in the world.
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