Sinner's Personality Has Changed And Become 'Very Cautious' Since Doping Saga
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Jannik Sinner has managed the anxiety surrounding his doping case for over nine months. Eurosport presenter Barbara Schett thinks the situation has changed the ATP star's personality.
Although tennis fans did not know it at the time, Sinner twice tested positive for the banned substance clostebol at March's Indian Wells Open. That led to the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) launching an investigation.
After five months, the ITIA cleared Sinner of wrongdoing. The governing body accepted his story that his physiotherapist accidentally contaminated him with a spray he did not realize contained tiny traces of the prohibited substance.
Tennis players and fans were not informed about Sinner's positive tests until the investigation was completed a few days before the US Open in August. Some, like Nick Kyrgios, have strongly criticized Sinner and the lack of transparency surrounding the case.
Sinner's investigation was kept private because he quickly found the source of the contamination. Iga Swiatek, who accepted a one-month suspension after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine, also had her investigation kept private because she appealed within ten days.
The Italian lost his prize money and ranking points from the Indian Wells Open, but it seemed like he would be able to move on from the saga. However, the World Anti-Doping Agency has appealed the ITIA's verdict to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
A verdict in Sinner's case will be reached sometime in 2025, but not before February 11th, since all the cases that will be ruled upon until that moment have been announced, and his was not on the list.
Sinner's performances while dealing with the case being public have been remarkable. He won his second Grand Slam title at the US Open, secured a maiden ATP Finals crown on home soil in Turin, and helped Italy to win back-to-back Davis Cup titles.
Those successes do not mean Sinner is not anxious. Former player and current Eurosport presenter Barbara Schett told Tennis365 that Sinner has not seemed as happy and easygoing since the case became public. She also thinks he is being more cautious about what he says.
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"He must feel under so much pressure and it can’t be easy. I saw him briefly yesterday after his exhibition match and you get the feeling that the lightness is not there at the moment, which is understandable. He was very controlled, even more introverted than before. He was more outgoing before, but now he is very cautious about what he says."
"Despite everything, it has been incredible how he has been playing over the last six months or for however long this has been going on. Also, this chapter is not closed. There could still be a substantial ban, we will see, but it must be very hard for him to deal with that."
Schett also reacted to the likelihood of Sinner being banned for between one and two years if he is found guilty by CAS. The presenter thinks a year would be a long time and believes there is inconsistency in how cases are handled.
"A year would be a very long time, I have to say. Let’s see what happens. One thing that has to change is it is all so complicated. There is so much inconsistency. Nobody really knows what’s going on."
"Why is one case like this and another case like that? It’s very confusing, I have to say, for everyone. For players, ex-players, journalists and everyone involved in tennis, this whole area is not clear."
