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NEW YORK – Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner has terminated his fitness coach and physiotherapist after testing positive for anabolic steroids twice in March. On Friday, during a press conference ahead of the U.S. Open, he stated that he felt innocent but was still concerned about the outcome of the case before it was confirmed that he would not be suspended.
“This has been a very difficult moment for me and my team,” Sinner said at the venue for the year’s final Grand Slam tournament, where he is seeded number 1. “It’s still hard.” Players will begin their matches on Monday in Flushing Meadows, with Sinner set to face his first-round opponent, American Mackie McDonald, who is ranked 140th, on Tuesday.
McDonald entered the U.S. Open field after Rafael Nadal withdrew earlier this month. Sinner humorously commented on the timing of the news regarding his doping case: “It’s not ideal.” He also described it as “a relief.” Sinner, who is 23 years old, first reached number 1 in the ATP rankings in June and is considered one of the rising stars in men’s tennis expected to follow the legacy of the Big Three: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. Sinner won his first Grand Slam title in January at the Australian Open.
So far, he has an impressive record of 48 wins and 5 losses in 2024, with five titles, making him the player with the most titles in the season. He prepared for the U.S. Open by winning the Cincinnati Open on Monday. The following day, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) revealed that Sinner had failed two doping tests in March—one during a tournament in Indian Wells, California, and another eight days later. However, it was determined that the anabolic steroid Clostebol entered his system inadvertently through a massage administered by physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi.
Sinner’s defense is that his fitness coach, Umberto Ferrara, purchased an over-the-counter spray containing Clostebol in Italy and gave it to Naldi, who used it on a hyperextended finger before massaging Sinner. Frances Tiafoe, whom Sinner defeated in the final at Cincinnati, was asked about the news on Friday.
“He’s an incredible player, and you know, authorities have made a decision. They chose to act, and he is cleared to play. That’s basically all I have to say about it,” Tiafoe commented. “All the best to him at the U.S. Open.”
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