Jannik Sinner has said that he no longer works with a physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi and a fitness trainer Umberto Ferrara after sports authorities probed his positive doping.
The world number one was found to have taken the muscle-building steroid clostebol twice in March. Earlier in the week, a tribunal absolved the Italian of any blame or lack of care, and found that the pollution was unintentional. In their ruling the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) determined that Naldi had in some way tainted Sinner after treating a cut to his own hand with a spray procured from Ferrara; Sinner was an unwitting recipient of the substance.
“I want to start with [saying] that they have been a huge part for my career,” Sinner said in a news conference at the US Open on Friday.
“We made an incredible job, bringing a lot of success and then having a great team behind me.
“Now, because of these mistakes, I’m not feeling that confident to continue with them.
“I was struggling a lot in the last months. Now I was waiting for the result, and now I just need some clean air.”
Sinner received a warm reception, from the crowd during his first practice session at Flushing Meadows on Thursday.
Speaking for the first time since the news emerged on Monday, Sinner said it was a “relief” the investigation was over.
Asked if he had concerns about his reputation, Sinner said: “For me, I always believe that I kept playing tennis because in my mind I knew that I haven’t done anything wrong.
“Whoever knows me very well knows that I haven’t done and I would never do something what goes against the rules.
“Here I also know who my friend is and who is not my friend, because my friends, they know that I would never do that.
“About the reputation, we will see moving forward, no? Because this, I can’t really control.”
SOURCE https://dew360.net
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