'Everyone' In Locker Room Knows Sinner Did Nothing Wrong According To His Coach

Monday, 11 November 2024 at 23:48

byJordan Reynolds

Jannik Sinner's doping scandal remains ongoing, but the Italian's coach, Simone Vagnozzi, said the other players in the locker room know he is innocent.

It looked like Sinner could put the ordeal behind him when the International Tennis Integrity Agency(ITIA) cleared the world No. 1 of wrongdoing after twice testing positive for the banned substance clostebol at the Indian Wells Open.

The ITIA concluded that Sinner bore no fault for the banned substance accidentally entering his system after his physiotherapist had used a spray containing traces of clostebol before giving the US Open champion a massage.

However, the World Anti-Doping Agency decided to appeal the case, arguing that Sinner did bear some fault for the clostebol going into his system, even if he did not know about it at the time.

The case's verdict is not expected to be reached until early 2025. That means Sinner is currently competing at the ATP Finals on home soil in Turin with that saga still hanging over him.

In a press conference before the season-ending tournament began, Sinner said he was confident that the Court of Arbitration for Sport would find him innocent when it looks into the case and that everything would work out okay for him.

The Italian continues to receive unwavering support from the team that supports him. Darren Cahill, Sinner's other coach, called his player an inspiration and also stated the 23-year-old knows he did nothing wrong.

In an interview with La Stampa, Vagnozzi admitted that the five months that the ITIA investigated the case were not easy, but Sinner and the rest of the team's clear conscience helped them.

"These were not easy months. We tried to give him as much support as possible, avoiding thinking about what we could not control. Having a clear conscience helped us."

Vagnozzi also believes his fellow players know Sinner did not do anything wrong and said anyone making comparisons with Simona Halep's doping case needed to realize that Sinner's case is different.

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"Words from some colleagues and insiders? If you talk about something, you have to be informed. The sentence is 50 pages long, I don't know how many have read them. You can't make comparisons with different cases, like that of Simona Halep."

"But in the locker room everyone knows that Jannik did nothing wrong. If I were a less serene player than Sinner, I would be worried knowing that I had no advantage, I did everything possible to avoid contamination, and yet I still risk disqualification."

Nick Kyrgios, who will return to the court at the 2025 Australian Open after a lengthy period sidelined with injuries, has been one of Sinner's most vocal critics. However, Vagnozzi may be referring to the players in the locker room this year or the top players he deems an actual threat to the world No. 1.

Some players have supported Sinner, but many others have been understandably uncomfortable when asked about the doping case since expressing a strong opinion in either direction is risky before the case is finally settled.