Current:Home > ScamsJannik Sinner parts way with team members ahead of US Open after positive doping tests -MoneySpot
Jannik Sinner parts way with team members ahead of US Open after positive doping tests
View
Date:2025-04-23 17:36:20
World. No. 1 tennis player Jannik Sinner has made some changes to his team following a doping saga that began when he tested positive for a banned anabolic steroid twice in March.
Sinner confirmed that he parted ways with his fitness coach Umberto Ferrara and his physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi on Friday in his first press conference since the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITA) announced Tuesday that Sinner bears "No Fault or Negligence" for the two positive doping tests. The ITA said scientific experts deemed Sinner's claim that Clostebol entered his system "as a result of contamination from a support team member" as credible.
Despite the success he's had with Ferrara and Naldi over the past two seasons, including his first major win at the Australian Open earlier this year, Sinner said he's looking for a fresh start in light of the ITA ruling.
"Because of these mistakes, I'm not feeling that confident to continue with them," Sinner told reporters on Friday ahead of the U.S. Open. "The only thing I just need right now, just some clean air. You know, I was struggling a lot in the last months. Now I was waiting for the result, and now I just need some clean air."
US OPEN STORYLINES: Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff, Olympics letdown, doping controversy
MORE: Schedule, prize money, how to watch 2024 US Open
One day after winning the Cincinnati Open, the ITA announced Tuesday that Sinner tested positive for Clostebol, an anabolic steroid banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency, in a test at the BNP Paribas Open on March 10 and an out-of-competition test conducted March 18. Sinner was provisionally suspended after the positive test results but continued to play on tour after a successful appeal.
Sinner claimed that a support team member regularly applied an over-the-counter spray containing Clostebol to treat their own wound in March before giving Sinner daily massages and sports therapy, "resulting in unknowing transdermal contamination. " Following an investigation, the ITA accepted Sinner's explanation and determined that the "violation was not intentional." Sinner was stripped of prize money and points earned at the tournament in Indian Wells, California, but he avoided a doping suspension.
On Friday, Sinner said its a "relief" to have received the ruling: "It's not ideal before a Grand Slam but in my mind I know that I haven't done anything wrong. I had to play already months with this in my head... I always respected the rules and I always will respect the rules for anti-doping."
Sinner noted that a minute amount of Clostebol was found in his system — "0.000000001, so there are a lot of zeroes before coming up a 1" — and added that he's a "fair player on and off the court."
Watch Sinner's full press conference below:
Several tennis players took to social media after the ITA's ruling, claiming that Sinner received preferential treatment. Former Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios said Sinner should be suspended for two years.
"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," Sinner said. "I know sometimes the frustration of other players obviously. But maybe... they got suspended is they didn't know exactly where (the banned substance) comes from."
Sinner added, "We knew it straightaway, and we were aware of what happened. We went straightaway, and I was suspended for two, three days... But they accepted it very, very fast, and that's why."
The Italian opens the U.S. Open Tuesday against American Mackenzie McDonald on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Contributing: Scooby Axon
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast.Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
veryGood! (675)
Related
- The FTC says 'gamified' online job scams by WhatsApp and text on the rise. What to know.
- Expect more illnesses in listeria outbreak tied to Boar's Head deli meat, food safety attorney says
- Cause probed in partial collapse of bleachers that injured 12 at a Texas rodeo arena
- Woody Marks’ TD run with 8 seconds left gives No. 23 USC 27-20 win over No. 13 LSU
- 2025 'Doomsday Clock': This is how close we are to self
- How Brooke Shields, Gwyneth Paltrow and More Stars Are Handling Dropping Their Kids Off at College
- 4 men fatally shot in Albuquerque; 1 person in custody
- Slash's stepdaughter Lucy-Bleu Knight, 25, cause of death revealed
- Taylor Swift makes surprise visit to Kansas City children’s hospital
- District attorney’s progressive policies face blowback from Louisiana’s conservative Legislature
Ranking
- The FTC says 'gamified' online job scams by WhatsApp and text on the rise. What to know.
- Sephora Flash Sale: Get 50% Off Shay Mitchell’s Sunscreen, Kyle Richards’ Hair Treatment & More
- Dusty Baker, his MLB dream no longer deferred, sees son Darren start his with Nationals
- 'I'll never be the person that I was': Denver police recruit recalls 'brutal hazing'
- Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace
- Pilot declared emergency, loss of autopilot before crash that killed 3 members of famed gospel group
- Have you seen this dress? Why a family's search for a 1994 wedding gown is going viral
- Obi Ndefo, Dawson's Creek Actor, Dead at 51
Recommendation
South Korea's acting president moves to reassure allies, calm markets after Yoon impeachment
Teenager Kimi Antonelli to replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes in 2025
American men making impact at US Open after Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz advance
San Francisco 49ers rookie Ricky Pearsall released from hospital after shooting
Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
RFK Jr. sues North Carolina elections board as he seeks to remove his name from ballot
Chocolate’s future could hinge on success of growing cocoa not just in the tropics, but in the lab
2024 US Open is wide open on men's side. So we ranked who's most likely to win