Jannik Sinner’s Former Physiotherapist Opens Up on His Current Relationship With the Italian Star

Jannik Sinner will open his Asian swing campaign at the China Open in Beijing.

Jannik Sinner’s Former Physiotherapist Opens Up on His Current Relationship With the Italian Star

Jannik Sinner (Image via X/Jannik Sinner HQ)

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Jannik Sinner’s former physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi has finally opened up about his current relationship with the former World No.1. Naldi and Sinner parted ways in August last year after he and Umberto Ferrara were held responsible for the Italian star twice testing positive for clostebol at the 2024 Indian Wells.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) found that Sinner had no fault or negligence for testing positive for the prohibited substance in March 2024; but instead blamed Naldi and Ferrara, who were in charge of Sinner’s anti-doping compliance, claiming they were responsible for the two failed tests.

The report stated that Ferrara gave Naldi trofodermin, a spray containing clostebol, to treat a cut on his hand. It added that Ferrara had warned Naldi that the spray contained a prohibited substance, even though he was fully aware that Naldi usually treated Sinner without using hand gloves.

It was then alleged that Naldi massaged Sinner after using the spray on a cut on his finger, which led to the contamination. Sinner then decided to split with the two staff members in his team. But he later served a three-month suspension for doping after settling his case with the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Naldi has had to bear the brunt of Sinner’s doping saga as his integrity has been ruined. During an interview with the Gazette dello Sport, he was asked what the state of his relationship with Sinner was. The Italian revealed that he has a cordial relationship with the World No.2 and they still speak in private:

I spoke with Sinner; it was cordial, and we shared private things. Beyond everything, the human connection remains after a case that involved us, and it was just an unfortunate series of coincidences, we are aware of that. I saw Cahill, who has always been very kind, and met Ferrara. Coming from the basketball world, I have always tried to instill the team spirit in Sinner’s team, and that is one of the things that are most appreciated. Although the collaboration has ended, there are no hard feelings.

Shockingly, a few months ago, Ferrara returned to Sinner’s team as his fitness trainer after he was rehired by the Italian star. He was reinstated in his former position after the sacking of fitness trainer Marco Panichi and physiotherapist Ulises Badio before the Wimbledon Championships in June.

Carlos Alcaraz reveals why he opted to play in Tokyo rather than a potential final clash with Jannik Sinner in Beijing

Jannik Sinner will compete at the China Open, where he reached the final last year before losing to Carlos Alcaraz. But Alcaraz has decided to compete at the Japan Open in Tokyo rather than defend his China crown in Beijing. This has guaranteed that Sinner and Alcaraz wouldn’t meet in the coming days at the Asian swing.

Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner (3)
Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner (Image via X/Jannik Sinner HQ)

During Alcaraz’s press conference in Tokyo, he was asked if he prefers not to face Sinner in almost every tournament. The Spaniard revealed that he loves the competition and rivalry between him and the Italian as it helps him get better on the court, but that wasn’t part of his consideration before choosing to compete in Tokyo:

It’s not really to be honest. I love playing against him, I think that every time we play against each other it helps me to be better and to increase my level. I love that but I wanted to play in a different place, a different stadium that I’ve never played.

Sinner and Alcaraz have faced each other five times this season, with the latter winning four of them. Additionally, the 22-year-old holds a 10-5 lead in their head-to-head record and a 2-1 advantage in Grand Slam finals.

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