World no. 1 Jannik Sinner confirmed that he has parted ways with his trainer, Umberto Ferrara, and physiotherapist, Giacomo Naldi, after escaping a potential ban following a positive doping test.
The Australian Open winner tested positive for the steroid clostebol after Naldi unknowingly contaminated Sinner with the substance during a treatment.
Last week, a tribunal cleared the Italian of any wrongdoing after accepting his explanation that the doping incident was not intentional and the ruling was accepted by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).
Sinner held a presser ahead of the 2024 US Open where he thanked Naldi and Ferrara while announcing that he is parting ways with the two.
"They have been a huge part of my career," Sinner stated, "We achieved great success together, but due to these mistakes, I no longer feel confident continuing with them." He admitted to struggling for months, awaiting the tribunal's decision, and now seeks to move forward with "some clean air."
"The reason I was able to keep playing was that we knew exactly where the substance came from and how it entered my body," Sinner explained. "It was crucial for us to share this information during the process, and the authorities understood it immediately."
Sinner was asked if he was worried that the controversy may damage his image but the Italian stated that he was confident in his innocence.
“In my mind, I knew that I hadn't done anything wrong," he said. "Anyone who knows me well knows that I would never break the rules. As for my reputation, we'll see what happens moving forward – that's something I can't really control."
