"There's a large number who I thought were friends... they are not" - Jannik Sinner opens up about how doping saga revealed true colors of others

Jannik Sinner opened up about the doping controversy that surrounded him in late August 2024, sharing how he felt when he first learned about the situation. He explained that the incident offered a new perspective on the people around him.

Sinner tested positive for the banned substance Clostebol twice during the 2024 Indian Wells Masters in March. However, he avoided a ban after the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) accepted his explanation.

He explained that the substance entered his system through his ex-physiotherapist, Giacomo Naldi, who had used an over-the-counter ointment containing the steroid, which he had received from fitness trainer Umberto Ferrara.

For the public, the news surfaced just before the US Open, which the Italian went on to win. However, he and his team had known about it well in advance.

In a recent detailed interview with Sky Sports, Jannik Sinner discussed the situation once again and shared his experience, saying it helped him recognize his true friends.

"I am convinced that nothing happens by chance , and perhaps this chance was precisely to understand who is your friend and who is not. And I separated these two matters," he said.

"I understood that there are many players who I didn't think were my friends, and there is a fairly large number who I thought were friends and instead they are not. And in the end I don't say that this did me any good, but it made me understand a lot of things," he added.

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Jannik Sinner: "The news came out in a very delicate phase...it was difficult to prepare for a Grand Slam"

Jannik Sinner pictured at the 2024 China Open | Image Source: Getty

Jannik Sinner elaborated further on his doping controversy, explaining that testing positive for Clostebol came at a particularly challenging time, just before a Grand Slam. Based on the timeline, he was presumably referring to the French Open.

"The real difficult moment in my opinion was when the news came out. And it came out in a very delicate phase because it came before a Grand Slam," he said.

"I had already wanted to train since Wednesday, the news came out on Tuesday and we decided it was better not to. We went on Thursday, in the evening, because so many people would have left. We got there and we had all the rooms on us, it was very hard. I looked at the other players to understand what they really thought," he added.

The World No. 1 also admitted that it took a significant toll on both him and his team, making it challenging to prepare for the Slam:

"I asked myself a lot of questions, it was difficult to prepare for a Grand Slam like that."

While Jannik Sinner has made significant changes to his team, removing Giacomo Naldi and Umberto Ferrara, his challenges are far from over.

In late September, WADA announced that they had appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), seeking a one to two-year ban for him. CAS later confirmed that they had initiated their investigation.