Jannik Sinner fires trainer, physio amid doping furore
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Jannik Sinner tested positive for the steroid clostebol, which can be used to build muscle mass, after his physio applied an over-the-counter spray to a cut on his own hand before carrying out treatments on the player.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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NEW YORK – World No. 1 Jannik Sinner has announced that he had fired his trainer and physiotherapist, after he escaped a doping ban despite failing two drug tests in March.
The Italian tested positive for the steroid clostebol, which can be used to build muscle mass, after his physio Giacomo Naldi applied an over-the-counter spray to a cut on his own hand before carrying out treatment on Sinner.
The spray was given to Naldi by trainer Umberto Ferrara.
Sinner, 23, was cleared of fault or negligence by a tribunal
The positive doping tests came to light only on Aug 20, a day after the Australian Open champion won his fifth title of the year at the Cincinnati Open.
“They (Naldi and Ferrara) have been a huge part for my career,” Sinner said on Aug 23, ahead of the start of the US Open on Aug 26.
“We made an incredible job, bringing a lot of success and then having a great team behind me.
“Now, because of these mistakes, I’m not feeling that confident to continue with them. I was struggling a lot in the last months. I was waiting for the result. The only thing I need right now is some clean air.”
Sinner's case has created a storm
The Italian has repeatedly maintained his innocence and said he was able to keep playing because his team quickly identified the source of the contamination.
“The reason why I could have played was because we knew where the substance was and how it came into my body,” he said. “This is very important, making this process, to letting them know, and they understood it straight away.”
Asked if he had concerns about the damage the controversy might cause to his reputation, Sinner added: “In my mind I knew that I haven’t done anything wrong.
“Whoever knows me very well knows that I haven’t done and I would never do something that goes against the rules.”
Current and former players like Nick Kyrgios and Denis Shapovalov have alleged double standards, questioning why he was not immediately suspended like other players who had tested positive.
ESPN analyst and 18-time Grand Slam singles winner Chris Evert said she believes top-ranked players like Sinner face different consequences after a positive test.
“I do think that they protect top players,” she said. “I do think there’s some protection there, than if you were Joe Smith, ranked 400 in the world.”
But Sinner insisted that he received the same treatment as his fellow players.
“Every player who gets tested positive has to go through the same process. There is no shortcut, there is no different treatment, they are all the same process,” he said.
“I know sometimes the frustration of other players. But maybe because they got suspended is they didn’t know exactly where it comes from, also what substance... the main reason is where it comes from and how it entered the system. We knew it straight away.”
REUTERS
