Jannik Sinner Finally Reveals Why He Hired Fitness Trainer Umberto Ferrara Despite Doping Saga

Jannik Sinner will be locking horns with qualifier Terence Atmane in the Cincinnati Masters semifinals.


Jannik Sinner Finally Reveals Why He Hired Fitness Trainer Umberto Ferrara Despite Doping Saga

Jannik Sinner and Umberto Ferrara (via BBC)

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The tennis world started to forget about Jannik Sinner‘s doping saga, but once again, it made headlines all over the world when he rehired fitness trainer Umberto Ferrara. Sinner is in Cincinnati, bidding to defend his title.

In the quarterfinals, he went past Felix Auger-Aliassime in straight sets, following which, journalist Ben Rothenberg asked him about his decision to once again add Ferrara to his team. Sinner, in his pre-tournament press conference, had made it clear that he didn’t want to discuss this situation. But this time, he decided to open up.

It was a different situation. Now everything is different. I felt like, at this point, I needed someone who knew my body better, because…but we said everything in the statement, so that’s fine.

It was Ferrara who bought the spray containing the banned steroid clostebol from Italy. Sinner’s former physio Giacomo Naldi used it to heal a cut on his finger, and as he massaged Sinner with his bare hands, it ended up contaminating him. Sinner fired both Naldi and Ferrara last year and added fitness trainer Marco Panichi and physio Ulises Badio to his team. But just a few days before Wimbledon, he surprisingly fired them.

We worked together for about two years before this break. His work has brought me a lot of benefits. We worked on every area of my body: mobility, stability, and even my body’s endurance has improved. I think he did a great job. I also got along well with Marco, but maybe he wasn’t the best choice. I’ve always had a good feeling about Umberto.

Jannik Sinner added

He bore no fault or negligence in the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s (ITIA) verdict, which was challenged by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The latter approached the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to demand a ban of one or two years, but WADA eventually withdrew the appeal and reached a settlement agreement with Sinner, handing him a ban of only three months.

Sinner made his comeback at the Italian Open, and his campaign ended before reaching the final. He lost the match in straight sets to Carlos Alcaraz, who later denied him his career’s first French Open title by coming from two sets down and saving three match points in the final.

But Sinner took his revenge with a four-set win in the Wimbledon final. After Wimbledon, the 23-year-old skipped the Canadian Open to extend his break and chose to start his campaign on the North American hard-court swing in Cincinnati.

Learner Tien on who he prefers to watch between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz

Learner Tien is another talented youngster who is expected to become a top 10 player. Recently, he gave an interview to Clay Tenis and was asked who he prefers between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. The 19-year-old chose the five-time Grand Slam champion and revealed it was Alcaraz who got him into watching more tennis.

Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz
Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz (Image via /The Tennis Letter, Wimbledon)

I think it might have been like 2021, when he was starting to break through, and he kind of pulled me into watching tennis. So I’d probably have to give him the edge there.

Tien was the runner-up in last year’s Next Gen ATP Finals, losing the match in four sets to Joao Fonseca. He was last seen in action at the Cincinnati Masters, where his run was ended by Andrey Rublev in straight sets in the second round.

It’s Rublev that Alcaraz will play in the quarterfinals. Sinner has set up his career’s first match against qualifier Terence Atmane. The four-time Grand Slam champion has never lifted a Masters 1000 title. Last year in the Cincinnati final, he defeated home favorite Frances Tiafoe.

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