Three days after the International Tennis Integrity Authority announced that world number one Jannik Sinner had tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs, the Italian confirmed he had parted ways with two central figures in the doping scandal that rocked the tennis world this week. At a press conference on Friday, he said he was relieved the news had been made public after months of investigation.
Speaking publicly for the first time, Sinner said he did nothing wrong intentionally but was comforted by the knowledge he had to cut ties with the trainer and physiotherapist who put banned substances in his system.
“These mistakes don't give me the confidence to continue playing,” Sinner said at a press conference ahead of the U.S. Open, referring to his fitness coach Umberto Ferrara and physiotherapist Giacomo Nardi. “These past few months I have been struggling a lot. I was waiting for results but now I just want some clean air.”
Ferrara and Nardi were part of a close-knit team that helped Sinner, a 22-year-old Italian, reach the pinnacle of the sport.
“We have decided to part ways and will no longer be working together,” a spokesman for Sinner said on behalf of the team. “We wish them the best of luck.”
Nardi hadn't accompanied Sinner to any events since June's Halle tournament in Germany, a grass-court tournament that serves as a warm-up for Wimbledon. Ferrara hadn't accompanied Sinner since Wimbledon, which finished in mid-July.
For months, Sinner has been balancing the stress of trying to clear his name through a difficult anti-doping legal process with the stress of trying to win actual tournaments as the world's No. 1 ranked tennis player.
Sinner was the first player to test positive at Indian Wells, where he lost in the semifinals to Carlos Alcaraz (George Walker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“It was a long process,” Sinner said. “I was always worried that one day it would come out. I looked at it differently at first, but then, you know, it got a little bit complicated. Me and my team and my lawyers went through it just as a tennis player.”
Since testing positive for the banned anabolic steroid clostebol in March, Sinner has learned that it's never easy to be a top tennis player.
He was provisionally suspended for each failed test, the first on March 10 during the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, and the second for an out-of-competition test on March 18.
An independent tribunal convened by the International Tennis Integrity Authority (ITIA) accepted Sinner's explanation that the two adverse analytical findings (AAF) against Clostebol were the result of the actions of Nardi and Ferrara. The tribunal found “no fault or negligence” on Sinner, but stripped the Italian of his ranking points, prize money and his performance in California. Two independent review panels convened by the ITIA also reached the same conclusion after Sinner appealed the two provisional suspensions that are mandatory in the case of AAF.
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The review committee upheld those appeals, allowing Sinner to continue playing whilst under investigation, and the provisional suspensions were left undisclosed.
According to the full court decision, released by the ITIA on Tuesday after an Aug. 15 hearing, Ferrara bought in February in Italy a product called Trofodermin, a spray used to heal cuts and which is available over the counter in Italy. Clostebol is one of its ingredients.
Nardi then cut himself with the scalpel he had used to treat calluses on Sinner's feet during the tournament, then used the spray to heal the wounds. Nardi then massaged Sinner's back and applied the treatment to his feet. Sinner has a skin condition that causes itching, and when he scratches himself, he creates small cuts.
Clostebol is an old steroid that was at the center of the infamous East German doping scandals of the 1970s and 1980s. It is said to increase muscle mass and speed up recovery from intense training. Its presence in healing creams sold in Italy and other countries is well known to those who have been familiar with anti-doping information for many years, especially Italian athletes who have tested positive for clostebol for similar reasons.
Schinner said Ferrara has been meticulous in his work over the years, especially when it comes to nutrition and medication.
After receiving the positive test report from the ITIA, he immediately went to Ferrara and was convinced that his spray had caused the problem.
He said he immediately went back to the ITIA to explain his situation and was subsequently allowed to continue playing.
“We had to think about what was going to happen in the future,” he said. “They believed in me and in us, and that's why I was able to play.”
He said he felt relieved, especially because he knew he had done nothing wrong.
“I knew I was very clean and I always aspired to be a fair player,” he said, but he knows a positive test would inevitably damage his reputation – something that would last through the tournament and possibly beyond.
“Some things may change, but anyone who knows me well knows that I have never done anything against the rules and never will,” he said. “Obviously it has been a very tough time for me and for the team. It still is, because it's a fairly new situation.”
(Andy Chan/Getty Images)
