Carlos Alcaraz was asked about Jannik Sinner's positive tests for a banned substance, and he thinks details about the case have not been revealed.
Sinner tested positive for the substance clostebol on two occasions during the Indian Wells Open in March. His system had only a billionth of a gram, but it was still enough for him to fail the tests.
The Italian avoided a ban after being cleared of wrongdoing. However, he did lose his ranking points and prize money from the tournament. The story was only broken five months after the positive tests, enraging many fans.
Sinner admitted his preparations for the US Open were not perfect due to stress from the ordeal. The 23-year-old also announced he was no longer working with his fitness trainer and physiotherapist because of their role in the positive tests.
His fitness coach, Umberto Ferrara, gave a spray to Sinner's physiotherapist, Giacomo Naldi, to treat a cut on his finger. However, both men were unaware that the spray contained clostebol.
Naldi subsequently gave Sinner several massages without gloves on. Tiny traces of clostebol entered his system, leading to the failed tests. The International Tennis Integrity Agency accepted Sinner's explanation, clearing him.
Alcaraz and Sinner have played epic matches against each other, including five-set battles at the 2022 US Open and this year's French Open. They also enjoyed a good and friendly relationship off the court.
That made fans interested in Alcaraz's view about Sinner's positive tests. The Spaniard seemed somewhat wary of expressing an opinion on the matter because English is not his first language, and he added that caveat at the start of his response.
"Well, it's a really difficult moment for him, that's for sure. It is complicated. I mean, I'm not gonna lie, it is complicated. But obviously what I can say? I mean, in English it's going to be difficult for me to explain myself, but I try. Well, I believe in a clean sport. So I don't know too much about that"
Alcaraz then said he believes there are parts of the case that we do not know, possibly related to Sinner's team at that time. The 21-year-old also accepted that Sinner was ruled innocent and that he could keep playing for that reason.
"You know, I am pretty sure that there are a lot of things that we don't know, you know, inside the team or inside, you know, everything. But if they let Jannik to keep playing, is for something, they said he's innocent. So that's all I know and that's all I can talk about."
The four-time Grand Slam champion's comments are somewhat vague but fascinating. It would be interesting to hear Alcaraz elaborate more on what he means by "things we do not know," but that may never happen.
Overall, Alcaraz's response was diplomatic without being overtly supportive of the Italian. Sinner recently said he discovered who are not his friends since the story broke. Knowing how he feels about Alcaraz's response would be intriguing.
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