Jannik Sinner admitted he could no longer trust Giacomo Naldi and Umberto Ferrara after their role in the Italian's failure of two doping tests.
Tennis fans were shocked on Tuesday when the Australian Open champion tested positive for the banned substance clostebol during the Indian Wells Open, where he reached the semifinal.
Sinner avoided a ban and was cleared of wrongdoing, although he lost his ranking points and prize money from the event. Losing the ranking points could prove crucial in the race to be the year-end No. 1.
The 23-year-old gave his first press conference about the incident on Thursday, making several interesting remarks. He admitted to being worried during the investigation but also knew he had done nothing wrong.
Sinner also stated he has discovered who his real friends are since the news broke about his positive tests. Some of his colleagues supported him, while others, like Nick Kyrgios, immediately said he should get a two-year ban.
The Italian also elected to stop working with Naldi and Ferrara after the doping scandal. Sinner's explanation to the International Tennis Integrity Agency, which was accepted, blamed them for the positive tests.
Ferrara gave Naldi an over-the-counter spray available in Italy to treat a cut on his finger. Naldi used it several times on his finger but was unaware that the product contained clostebol.
Sinner then received several massages from Naldi during the Indian Wells Open without gloves. During some of those massages, he still had some of the spray on his fingers, and one billionth of a gram of clostebol entered Sinner's system through a cut.
The recent Cincinnati Open champion admitted he was not confident enough to work with either man after that ordeal. However, he also said they had been a massive part of his career and helped him to achieve great things.
"Yeah, first, I want to start with that they have been a huge part for my career. We worked together for two years. We made an incredible job, bringing a lot of success and then having a great team behind me. Now, because of these mistakes, I'm not feeling that confident to continue with them."
Sinner believes he needs to make a clean start after the stress he endured during the five months the positive tests were being investigated, and that includes not having Naldi and Ferrara on his team.
"Yeah, first, I want to start with that they have been a huge part for my career. We worked together for two years. We made an incredible job, bringing a lot of success and then having a great team behind me. Now, because of these mistakes, I'm not feeling that confident to continue with them."
The world's No. 1 has not traveled with Ferrara or Sinner during the past few weeks. Although parting with two men who have significantly impacted his career may be sad, he did not have a choice after the two positive tests and their effect on his reputation.
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