At the press conference following his victory over Daniil Medvedev in the third round robin match at the ATP Finals 2024, Jannik Sinner commented on the victory of a match without particular worries against the Russian, a tennis player who now struggles a lot against the Italian champion. But not only that, because the ATP No.1 also returned to comment on the matter relating to the Clostebol doping-issue, explaining how he doesn’t feel comfortable in this position.
“I’ve found myself in this position before, I’ve already had three hearings and so I’m used to these things. Obviously I don’t like being in this position but I’ll continue to work and we’ll see what comes out of it,” he explained.
The Italian – despite having already qualified – also analyzed the victory against his Russian rival, underlining how he is happy with his performance. Jannik said once again how the Finals are very important and he is happy to have won all the matches in the group.
“Now on Saturday there will be the semifinals and we will see what happens. What changes compared to 2024? It doesn’t matter how you get to a tournament, it’s always a different feeling but I’m happy to have reached the semifinals. However, this is a completely different year compared to 2023, I am a different player and I think we have all improved compared to the past,” he said.
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In the previous on-court interview, Sinner, interviewed on court by Diego Nargiso, had shown all his satisfaction for the result obtained against Medvedev, even if his qualification did not depend on it, which was already on the way since Alex De Minaur had snatched the first set from Taylor Fritz.
Jannik said it was a good match, thanking all the crowd present at the Inalpi Arena in Turin. The ATP No.1 revealed that he knew it would be a difficult challenge against the Russian: “We have played many times this year and we know well how to put ourselves in difficulty. He served very well and I am happy. Now we will see how it goes on Saturday in the semifinals but we have achieved the first objective. The second with Fritz was important and brought me in an excellent position to qualify and I hope this match will give me confidence for the semifinals on Saturday. I hope to raise the level even more but the level at which I am playing makes me happy. I have always tried to stay there mentally and I am happy with this performance.”
Jannik Sinner now has 15 top 10 wins this season.
More than any other man on tour.
He keeps delivering.
🇮🇹🦊 pic.twitter.com/Bn9Lt6fl2w
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) November 14, 2024
Returning to the Clostebol doping-issue Wada – as known – has asked for further documentation, before appealing to the CAS following the acquittal announced by an independent tribunal commissioned by ITIA. The World Anti-Doping Agency has requested a suspension of 1-2 years for the Italian athlete. CAS will have to prove that the Italian is guilty and negligent in testing positive for Clostebol, a banned doping substance that came into contact with his body through physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi. The former member of the Italian’s staff had treated a wound to the little finger of his right hand during the Indian Wells tournament with a spray containing Clostebol – without the player’s knowledge -, then massaging Jannik without gloves. The involuntary contamination was proven with relevant evidence and allowed Sinner not to receive a temporary suspension, winning both appeals, in addition to the hearing at the independent ITIA tribunal.
Following the appeal, in a statement ITIA announced that it has taken note of the decision of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to appeal the finding of not guilty or negligent in the case of Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner, issued by an independent tribunal appointed by Sport Resolutions on 19 August 2024. Under the World Anti-Doping Code, WADA has the final right to appeal all such decisions. After reconstructing the sequence of events following a thorough investigative process, the case was referred to a tribunal completely independent of the ITIA to determine the level of negligence. The process was conducted in accordance with the guidelines of the World Anti-Doping Code. However, the ITIA recognises and respects WADA’s right to appeal the decision of the independent tribunal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
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At the last US Open, Sinner had commented on how very hard it was to deal with the complicated period when the news became public. The Italian said how it is impossible to control everything. The ATP No.1 said he was very disappointed and also surprised by this appeal, after the three hearings. All three hearings were very positive for him, as he emphasized. He said he did not expect this move by WADA, but he had known for a couple of days that the World Anti-Doping Agency would appeal.