Days after declining to answer, Jannik Sinner relents under pressure and breaks silence at Cincinnati Open on re-hire of doping ban-tainted coach

Jannik Sinner's campaign at the Cincinnati Open got off to a controversial start, thanks to his rehiring of fitness coach Umberto Ferrera. Ferrera was one of the physiotherapists behind the World No. 1's drug ban earlier this year, when he was suspended for three months for testing positive for clostebol.

In his legal defense, Sinner's team argued that the Italian was only accidentally exposed to the substance as it was present in trace amounts in a spray used by his physiotherapist. Soon after the ban became public knowledge, Sinner and Ferrera parted ways, and the World No. 1 hired Novak Djokovic's ex-fitness coach Marco Panichi.

However, when the relationship did not last, Sinner went back to Ferrera, releasing a statement at the time saying that they would work together at the Cincinnati Open and the US Open. Pressed about the situation in his press conference at the ATP 1000 tournament, the World No. 1 refused to explain himself.

“Yeah, I think we said it all, everything in the statement. I’m very happy to be here and play again this tournament," Sinner had said.

A week later, under relentless pressure from journalist Ben Rothenberg, Jannik Sinner has finally broken his silence on the matter. As revealed by Rothenberg in his blog 'Bounces,' Sinner stated that his reunion with Ferrera comes at a time when things are entirely 'different' and shared his opinion that Ferrera knew his body better than anyone else.

“It was a different situation. Now everything is different. I felt like, at this point, I needed someone who knew my body better.We worked together for about two years before this break. His work has brought me a lot of benefits,” he said.

The Italian further clarified that while he did not have any problems with Panichi, he felt strongly that his work with Ferrera had been the most fruitful and wanted to continue that relationship as long as possible.

“We worked on every area of my body: mobility, stability, and even my body’s endurance has improved. I think he did a great job. I also got along well with Marco [Panichi], but maybe he wasn’t the best choice. I’ve always had a good feeling about Umberto,” Jannik Sinner said.

Currently at the Cincinnati Open, Jannik Sinner has reached the semifinals and is two wins away from defending the title.

Jannik Sinner to take on Terence Atmane in Cincinnati Open semifinals

TENNIS: AUG 14 Cincinnati Open - Source: Getty

Up next, Jannik Sinner will take on World No. 136 Terence Atmane in the semifinals of the 2025 Cincinnati Open. In the quarterfinals, he beat Felix Auger-Aliassime in straight sets, while Atmane took down Holger Rune in straights.

Should he reach the final, Sinner is likely to take on World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz. The Spaniard is soon facing Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals, with his next opponent set to be either Alexander Zverev or Ben Shelton.