New Delhi: World No.1 Jannik Sinner has finally broken his silence on the doping controversy that has taken over the tennis world in the last few days, professing his innocence. Sinner tested positive for low levels of the banned anabolic agent clostebol in March, once during the Indian Wells Masters and again in an out-of-competition test eight days later.
Sinner was stripped of his results, prize money and 400 ranking points he had accumulated at Indian Wells, but the ITIA confirmed this week that an independent tribunal found that he bears no fault or negligence for the violations. He was relieved to escape a doping ban after twice positive for a banned substance, and said “In my mind I know that I haven’t done anything wrong.”
The Italian emphasized that he has always adhered to the rules laid down against doping, adding that it felt good to see the matter resolved once and for all, even if it was not ideal to face such an issue just ahead of a Grand Slam. “Of course, it’s not ideal before a Grand Slam,” Sinner said.
“But, you know, in my mind I know that I haven’t done anything wrong. I had to play already months with this in my head, but, you know, just remembering myself that I haven’t done really anything wrong. I always respect that these rules, and I always will respect these rules of anti-doping,” he added.
Sinner said the months-long process was a nerve-wracking experience, and he rejected suggestions he had received any special treatment because of his lofty ranking. The reigning Australian Open Champion had known about the investigation for months and felt relieved now that he no longer had to keep it a secret from the public.
With it no longer weighing on his mind, Sinner hoped to have a good outing at Flushing Meadows, where he had gone out in the fourth round last year. “Yeah, just obviously a relief for myself having this result. And, yeah, so it’s just good to be back here. It’s an amazing city, amazing place to play tennis. I will just trying to enjoy as much as I can and hopefully having a good tournament,” he added.
In a press conference just before the US Open, Sinner touched upon how his mental health has been affected because of the controversy surrounding him. He said that it was out of his control for the most part, but made note that his preparation has been affected because of it. Regardless, the world no.1 did not appear concerned about the apparent bad fortune and was only happy for himself and his team to be finally free of the situation.
“Look, it has been a very long process, no? I had to deal with this already for months. I think we all know for how long I’m talking about. Obviously I had to make now some decisions based on the outcome. There are some dates you have to respect throughout this whole process, so you can’t really choose when it comes out or when it doesn’t come out,” Sinner said.
“In my mind, as I said before, you know, I’m just happy that it’s finally out, you know, because it’s one kind of relief also for me and my team, which is still here. Obviously, because of that, the preparation for this tournament has not been perfect because, you know, of certain circumstances. Now it’s out and that’s it,” he added.
At the US Open, Sinner will start his campaign against Mackenzie McDonald, with a potential semifinal blockbuster with Carlos Alcaraz coming ahead.
