US Open top seed Jannik Sinner attended his pre-tournament press conference for media day, expectedly answering questions about his positive doping result.
The Australian Open champion was found to have had one billionth of a gram of a Clostebol steroid transferred into his body after physio, Giacomo Naldi, used a spray contaminated with the banned substance to treat a cut finger as he continued to massage Sinner.
Tested back in March during Indian Wells, the Italian has been docked 400 ranking points and $325,000 in prize money for reaching the semi-finals, provisionally suspended for a few days before being found of no wrongdoing.
The tennis world has shared mixed opinions on the controversial issue, but Sinner’s coach, Darren Cahill, defended his player on ESPN by confirming that “he [Sinner] would never, ever intentionally do anything, and he's in a situation that's incredibly unfortunate.”
Sinner opened up on being cleared for the failed tests, admitting: “I know I didn’t do anything wrong. The people around me know what person I am. It’s not ideal before a Grand Slam. I’ve already played with this in my mind and it went well. It’s a relief to have been cleared and I will try to make the most of this tournament.”
Although the media moderator made clear “we won’t be answering any more questions on that subject,” Sinner accepted further queries on the matter.
When asked about his reputation, the 23-year-old explained that he would continue to follow his conscience regardless of the outside noise.
“For me, I always believe that l kept playing tennis because in my mind I knew that I haven't done anything wrong,” said Sinner. “I knew that I was very clean, and I knew that I was always very looking forward to [being] a fair player.”
“Obviously it's coming out this notification, it might change a couple of things, but whoever knows me very well knows that I haven't done [anything wrong] and I would never do something [that] goes against the rules.
“It has been a very tough moment for me and my team. It still is, because it's quite fresh. I also know who is my friend and who is not my friend, because my friends, they know that I would never do that, and sticking together.
“About the reputation, we will see now moving forward. Because this, I can't really control. So let's see.”
With the final decision released earlier this week, the timing of this news could either prove a hindrance or a benefit.
Whenever the news would break, however, was firmly out of Sinner’s control.
“I had to deal with this already for months,” he said. “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.”
The likes of Nick Kyrgios and Denis Shapovalov have strongly questioned the ruling, hinting at preferential treatment for the top players.
In Sinner’s mind, that is simply inaccurate.
"Every player who gets tested positive has to go through the same process," Sinner said. "There is no shortcut, there is no different treatment, they are all the same process.
"I know sometimes the frustration of other players obviously. But maybe because they got suspended is they didn't know exactly where it comes from, also what substance, but the main reason is where it comes from and how it entered in his own system. We knew it straight away, and we were aware of what happened. We went straight away, and I was suspended for two, three days. I couldn't practice and everything. But they accepted it very, very fast, and that's why."
Despite instantly knowing how the positive result eventuated, the stress over the past few months has been heavily felt by Sinner and his team.
“It was a long process,” he recalled. “I was always concerned that it might come out at some point. In the beginning was a different view, but then after, it was a little bit more complicated. I went through, me and my team and the lawyers, I'm just a simple tennis player. That's what I love to do.”
Sinner commences his US Open campaign against America’s Mackenzie McDonald on Arthur Ashe Stadium in the early hours of Wednesday morning AEST.
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