Jannik Sinner addresses impact of drugs controversy on his mind in lead-up to US Open title: "The last period was really not easy"

Jannik Sinner admitted to facing challenges with the drug controversy saga after defeating Taylor Fritz to win the 2024 US Open. The Italian comprehensively triumphed over the American in straight sets to claim his second Grand Slam title of the year. The World No. 1 has been in phenomenal form this year.

The 23-year-old was involved in a huge controversy after it was revealed that he had tested positive for Clostebol, a banned drug. However, the ITIA (International Tennis Integrity Agency) cleared the Italian to play after determining that the consumption of the substance was accidental and that the amount found was not considered performance-enhancing.

However, Sinner had to bear the brunt of many, who felt that he had received favorable treatment as opposed to other players involved in a similar saga.

Sinner came into Flushing Meadows on the back of a win in the Cincinnati Open and carried his form into the New York Major, ousting Mackenzie McDonald in the opening round. He then ousted Alex Michelsen and Christopher O'Connell, following which he defeated 14th seed Tommy Paul. The Italian then eliminated fifth seed Daniil Medvedev and 25th seed Jack Draper to reach the final.

In the final, Sinner faced the American No. 1 and 12th seed, Taylor Fritz, and dominated the match, winning 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 in two hours and 16 minutes.

During the on-court interview, Sinner addressed the challenges he faced during the controversy and expressed gratitude to his team for their constant support throughout the tough times. He emphasized his love for tennis and the hard work he put in to win the tournament.

"This title, for me means means so much because the the last period of of my career was was really not easy. That is my team, who supports me every day, the people who are close to me. I love tennis. I practise a lot for this kind of stages," he said (at 1:06).

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Jannik Sinner cements his position at the helm of men's tennis with historic win at the US Open

In Picture: Jannik Sinner (Image via Getty)

With his win at the 2024 US Open, Jannik Sinner became the first Italian man to win multiple Grand Slam singles titles in a year. He had earlier won the Australian Open, staging an impressive victory from two sets down to defeat Daniil Medvedev.

This was the Italian's sixth title of the year. Apart from the latest US Open triumph, he has won the Australian Open, ABN AMRO Open, Miami Masters, Terra Wortmann Open, and Cincinnati Masters this year.

The 23-year-old's win will take his ranking points to 11,180, which will be 4,105 more than the number two ranked player, Alexander Zverev. The German will be followed by Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, and Daniil Medvedev to complete the Top 5.

Meanwhile, Taylor Fritz will climb back into the Top 10 rankings, occupying the seventh position behind the aforementioned players and Andrey Rublev.