NEW YORK – Jannik Sinner feels the reaction from his colleagues after his Clostebol doping case came to light was ‘quite positive’.
He said this with the US Open trophy glinting at his side, when asked what he thinks this Grand Slam title to his name means to the tennis world after the ‘pre-tournament circumstances’.
That concept was the one Sinner used more than once to refer to the fact that just Monday before the US Open main draw started, it came to light that he had tested positive in two doping tests from which he was cleared through ‘no fault or negligence’ according to the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).
‘I don’t know. You have to ask all the other players,’ the world number one began. ‘What I can say is that the general reaction from the players was quite positive, even when things came to light. Then there have been, of course, some different voices, but that’s always the case, not only in tennis, but in other sports and other jobs. You can’t do anything about it,’ he added.
Ver esta publicación en Instagram
The 2024 Grand Slam hard-court dominator did define what it means to him and the people in his inner circle to have triumphed in New York: ‘I can speak for myself, from my point of view and from my team’s point of view, and we are all very proud of this achievement.’
Sinner compared the two major titles in his collection. In a rare occurrence in tennis, to win the first two Grand Slams in the same season, the victory for the Italian had different flavours to each other.
‘Winning in Melbourne was a relax, because you never know if you can win your first Grand Slam, and when you get it you know you can potentially win more; here in New York it was different because the pre-tournament circumstances were not easy. I have the feeling that I grew as the matches went on, that my confidence grew. It was different because this time I had more pressure, maybe a little bit more than in Australia. I’m happy with how I dealt with it and I’m thrilled to have this trophy with me,’ he said at the press conference, where he arrived 70 minutes later than initially announced.
Sinner explained that the doping case and its consequences were on his mind during his matches at Flushing Meadows, but it was something he was able to control.
‘On the court I try to focus on the game and manage the situation as best I can (…) it wasn’t easy, but I managed it and I think I did a very good job mentally, making my head stay where it needed to be on every point.’
