Jannik Sinner’s ex-coach not ‘surprised’ by the criticism from former and current players on the Italian amid WADA ban
Riccardo Piatti believes that Jannik Sinner knows that he needs to focus on what he needs to do and not on what other people are talking about.
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Riccardo Piatti and Jannik SInner (via X)
Italian tennis coach Riccardo Piatti has worked with several top-ranked tennis players, including Maria Sharapova, Novak Djokovic, Ivan Ljubicic, Richard Gasquet, Milos Raonic, and Jannik Sinner. Piatti recently gave his take on Sinner’s doping case, for which the World No. 1 is currently serving a three-month suspension.
Piatti began coaching Sinner in 2014, when Sinner was around 13 years old. They worked together until early 2022, with Sinner breaking into the top 10 rankings during their collaboration. Piatti remarked that it has been a long time since he has been in contact with Sinner, but thinks that in his mind the Italian knows what he needs to do during his suspension.
Commenting on the criticism Jannik Sinner is receiving regarding the doping case, Riccardo Piatti believes that Sinner knows that he needs to focus on what he needs to do and not on what other people are talking about.
However, with today’s schedule where recovery, especially after the Australian Open, has become complicated, it makes Piatti think about Sinner’s situation. He remarked that it’s actually quite good for Sinner to have to stop now as he can prepare to win the other three Grand Slams.
Listen, I know a lot of the players. They’re never all together; it’s impossible. If you ask me if I’m surprised, the answer is no. I’m not surprised. Again, because I know the players, if it had happened to them, they’d have said it was a disaster. But if it happens to someone else, then it’s not a disaster. That’s how their mentality works. Then again, it’s an individual sport, so uniting everybody is difficult.
Riccardo Piatti told Tennis Majors
Sinner’s suspension, which was announced a few weeks after he defended his Australian Open title, spans from February 9 to May 4. He will miss the prestigious hardcourt tournaments at Indian Wells and Miami, along with several clay court tournaments that build up to the Roland Garros. The next tournament that he will be eligible to play in will be on his home soil at the Italian Open, which commences on May 7.
Riccardo Piatti speaks about his time coaching Jannik SInner
Riccardo Piatti also reflected back on his time coaching Jannik Sinner. His goal when he was coaching Sinner, and because he coached Novak Djokovic back in the day, was to find how Sinner could beat Djokovic. Piatti remarked that he was watching Djokovic a lot, he worked with him, and so the idea was always to find someone who can beat a player like this.
Piatti mentioned that he didn’t have an opportunity to coach Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer, otherwise, the process would have been different. But the idea, Piatti reiterated, is always the same, and now it’d be to find a young player who, in eight to ten years, can beat Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner.
They’re very different but also very similar in a way. I think Jannik is stronger than Novak now because he’s younger. Sometimes I forget how Novak was when he was younger, but what is clear is that he went through a lot of tough situations with having Roger and Rafa in front of him. But yes, mentally, they’re both very strong. And when I talk about a strong mind, I mean they’re both very clear about what they need to do. They immediately understand what’s needed, and they do it.
Riccardo Piatti added
Piatti said that he thinks Sinner made a really good choice, especially with hiring Darren Cahill, and the rest of the team is also doing a good job. He added that he was very happy about what they did for eight years for Sinner. Though everything, including the pressure, started to get bigger when Sinner started to play on the Tour, Piatti remarked that he always tried to protect the team.
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