World No. 1 Jannik Sinner mentioned he was caught off guard by the tennis friends who reached out – and those that stayed silent – throughout his latest three-month doping suspension.
“Some messages really surprised me,” Sinner mentioned. “And there were others I thought would reach out but didn’t. I won’t name names.”
Sinner returns to motion this week on the Italian Open, his dwelling match, after a controversial settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency. The timing of the deal raised eyebrows, because it allowed the Italian star to keep away from lacking any Grand Slam tournaments.
The settlement adopted WADA’s enchantment of a 2024 ruling by the International Tennis Integrity Agency, which had cleared Sinner of wrongdoing, citing unintentional contamination by a banned anabolic steroid.
Many fellow professionals felt Sinner was handled too evenly. The Italian not too long ago mentioned he didn’t really feel comfy within the locker room or the gamers’ lounge throughout his run to a second straight Australian Open title in January, noting, “Players were looking at me differently.”
Coach Simone Vagnozzi mentioned he and Darren Cahill, Sinner’s different coach, additionally sensed the glares.
“When something like that happens, I think it’s almost inevitable to have everyone looking at you. But there have also been some nice things said,” Vagnozzi mentioned, highlighting feedback he appreciated from Holger Rune’s mom, Casper Ruud and Alexander Zverev.
In the ultimate month of his ban, Sinner practiced with Jack Draper, Lorenzo Sonego and Rune at his coaching base in Monaco.
At the beginning of his suspension, Sinner was banned from attending any sanctioned sports activities occasion.
“I wanted to support my friends in cycling or motorsport,” Sinner mentioned. “I couldn’t go there. That, for me, was the toughest part.”
In March, skilled bicycle owner Giulio Ciccone posted a photograph on Instagram of himself posing throughout a motorcycle outing with Sinner and Ferrari endurance drivers Antonio Giovinazzi and Alessandro Pier Guidi.
Cahill has introduced he’ll retire on the finish of the 12 months. Vagnozzi was requested if he would take into account teaching Sinner alone.
“I would be able to do it on my own,” Vagnozzi mentioned. “But with gamers of this stage, it’s vital to have one other viewpoint. And it’s vital to generally break up up the weeks you spend with the participant. Otherwise, it’s a 365-day-a-year job, and that’s a bit a lot.
“But I’m hoping that Darren stays on for another five years because we have such a great relationship. He might be the best coach ever in terms of results and other factors.”
Vagnozzi famous that Sinner is the fourth participant Cahill has coached to No. 1 after Andre Agassi, Lleyton Hewitt and Simona Halep.
“But most of all, he’s a special person,” he mentioned.
Sinner will open on Saturday in opposition to both No. 99 Mariano Navone or 18-year-old Italian wild card Federico Cinà. He enters on a 21-match successful streak however hasn’t performed an official match since January.
The purple clay on the Foro Italico has not historically been Sinner’s greatest floor. Only one in every of his 19 profession titles has come on clay – in Umag, Croatia, in 2022.
“It’s definitely the surface where he is the least sure of himself,” Vagnozzi mentioned. “But last year he had a good clay season – reached the semifinals in Monte Carlo and the French Open and the quarterfinals in Madrid. … So I think he can do well here, too.”
The final Italian man to win the Rome title was Adriano Panatta in 1976.
Source: www.dailysabah.com