MILANO. The anxiety of not being the master of one’s own destiny in the case of the involuntary contamination of clostebol, the firm awareness of not being to blame, the embarrassment at the looks and whispers of adversaries and friends, or presumed such. Jannik Sinner tells Sky about the year of his exciting consecration – two Slams won, Australia and the United States, and number one in the ATP ranking – and the mocking turbulence over the doping case, from which he was cleared after the investigation but on which Wada appealed.
“It was a very complicated, delicate period, because I didn’t know how I should behave, I didn’t know what would come out, I didn’t know what would happen with the team. I couldn’t open up to many people. It was easy to lose control. I didn’t sleep, like the night before the match against Medvedev and Wimbledon. One morning, however, I woke up and realized that the judge’s decision didn’t depend on me but that I hadn’t done anything wrong.” But, a quality only of the greats, finding ideas to grow further, becoming ever stronger.
“At the US Open, after the case became public knowledgeI had to change my training program: I trained in the evening, so there would be fewer people. I looked around to observe the looks of others to understand what they really thought. I asked myself many questions. Deep down I am convinced that nothing happens by chance, and perhaps this happened precisely to understand who is your friend and who is not. I realized that there are a lot of players that I didn’t think were my friends and there’s a fairly large amount that I thought were friends but aren’t.. And in the end I won’t say that this did me any good, but it made me understand many things. I’m happy with how I handled it because it was very difficult. But the moment I go onto the court and put on my cap, for me only the tennis ball exists. I feel safe on the pitch.”
The ranking doesn’t lie and an encore at Davis with his Italy and the first seal at the ATP Finals would make the season unique. “When you are number one in the world you are always the one wanted by your opponentslike having a target on you, this makes the game more beautiful. But losing matches as world number one is different, heavier. I haven’t changed as a person – adds Sinner, winner of two slams in 2024 -, success hasn’t changed me. Now I have less free time but I dedicate all the time possible to work, continuing to have fun”. And a hope, which sounds like a promise: “I would like to play tennis for the next 15 years”.