Jannik Sinner won his fifth title of the year in Cincinnati against Frances Tiafoe. He was solid in the final and hit some great forehands. Miami was the event where he played his best tennis, but the win in Cincinnati could arguably be more special. He wasn’t playing his best tennis and yet found a way to win the title, showcasing that a champion can win even when they’re not at their best. His mental game should receive a huge boost because of this title.
Sinner is now guaranteed to overcome Daniil Medvedev’s 16 weeks as world No.1. He now leads close to 2000 points in the ATP rankings over Novak Djokovic and exactly 2000 points over Carlos Alcaraz and is the favourite to end the year as world No.1. It would be a fitting end to his breakout season at the top. Following his victory in Cincinnati on Monday, the Italian would have been a top favourite to win the US Open. Only his hip issues would have made people and himself doubt his chances, but things have changed since Tuesday.
The Doping Allegations
Jannik Sinner has been cleared of wrongdoing after twice testing positive for a banned substance in March this year. The Italian tested positive for low levels of a metabolite of clostebol – a steroid that can be used to build muscle mass and expedite recovery – during Indian Wells. A further sample taken eight days later also tested positive for low levels of the same metabolite. A provisional suspension was automatically applied, but as Sinner challenged it successfully, he could keep playing.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) carried out an investigation that found Sinner was inadvertently contaminated by the substance by his physiotherapist. The physiotherapist had been applying an over-the-counter spray available in Italy to a cut on his hand. He had then carried out treatments on Sinner, resulting in accidental contamination. The ITIA accepted the explanation and that the violation was not intentional. Sinner was cleared of fault or negligence by an independent tribunal last week. He will, however, lose the ranking points from Indian Wells, where he was beaten in the semifinals by eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz.
The ITIA described the levels found in Sinner’s sample as “low.” His lawyers said they amounted to “less than a billionth of a gram.” A statement from his lawyers said Sinner’s fitness trainer had “purchased a product, easily available over the counter in any Italian pharmacy, which he gave to Sinner’s physiotherapist to care for a cut on the physiotherapist’s finger.”
The physiotherapist applied the spray between 5-13 March, with Indian Wells taking place from 6-17 March. During that time, the physio provided daily massages and sports therapy to Sinner, resulting in “unknowing transdermal contamination.” “The physiotherapist treated Sinner without gloves and coupled with various skin lesions on Sinner’s body caused the inadvertent contamination,” the lawyer’s statement read.
The Negative Impact of this on Jannik Sinner
Does Sinner have the mentality to survive this? No amount of winning will make people magically forget about the allegations. If anything, it’ll make them worse. It’s just a fact of life that PEDs stir up a moral outrage amongst the public. Sinner will probably have to carry this now for the rest of his tennis career, and it might be a long one. He is already being accused of getting preferential treatment because he has money to spare, that is not the case. It’ll be a tall order for him to stay focused amidst all this noise. He’s not typically the one to feed off hatred. Even a slight dip in motivation can kill a player’s performance. He would be asked about this over and over again.
The Positive Impact of Getting Cleared
This whole thing has affected Sinner’s reputation negatively, but things could have worsened for him. Even though he is stoic, his reaction to winning the Cincinnati Open made so much sense. There wasn’t any joy from him or his team. It was like being at the edge of a cliff. He knew this could be his last match for a long time, and the statement came out the next day. Sinner has impressive mental maturity, but I think he was affected; he just knew how to deal with it. He can now play much more freely.
It showed in his pre-tournament press conference, where it seemed like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. His body language was looser and more comfortable. It was impressive how calmly and confidently he handled it, very professionally and openly. He came across as mature and genuine. He welcomed all the questions, understood the reasoning behind each, and never came off defensive when answering. Sinner seemed like someone who knew he was innocent.
Jannik Sinner sacked his physiotherapist and fitness trainer on Friday (August 23), which isn’t at all surprising. It would still be a huge task to silence all the noise and go out there and perform, but Sinner has shown that he is emotionally mature enough to do so. His best tennis is good enough to win the US Open, and he has been the best hard-court player this year. If he can stay healthy, manage his conditioning in the humid weather of New York and doesn’t let the whole scandal thing get to him, I think he has a definite shot at winning the US Open.
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey – USA TODAY Sports
