“I know who is my friend and who is not” – Jannik Sinner not concerned about his ‘reputation’ after being embroiled in doping controversy

Jannik Sinner addressed the doping controversy, stating that he remains unfazed by concerns about his reputation and confident in the support of his true friends. Although he failed two drug tests this year, he has been cleared of any wrongdoing.

Sinner tested positive for the banned substance Clostebol during the Indian Wells Masters in March and again eight days later. He was initially placed under provisional suspension but successfully appealed the decision, enabling him to continue competing on tour.

The information became public earlier this week when the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) and Sinner’s team jointly announced that the 23-year-old was found to be without fault or negligence regarding the substance in his system. The contamination was determined to be accidental, traced back to his former physiotherapist, Giacomo Naldy.

Jannik Sinner has addressed the controversy during a pre-tournament press conference ahead of the US Open (August 26-September 8). When questioned about his reputation, the Italian responded that he isn’t concerned, as he believes he hasn’t done anything wrong by adding these words

“I haven’t done anything wrong. I knew that I was very clean, and I knew that I was always very looking forward to be a fair player. Whoever knows me very well knows that I haven’t done and I would never do something what goes against the rules.”

“I also know who is my friend and who is not my friend, no, because my friends, they know that I would never do that, and sticking together,” the World No. 1 continued.

“The preparation for this tournament has not been perfect” – Jannik Sinner on being distracted by the doping controversy at the US Open

During the press conference, Jannik Sinner addressed the impact the controversy has had on his mental health. He admitted that much of the situation was beyond his control but acknowledged that it had affected his preparation.

Despite the apparent bad luck, the World No. 1 didn’t seem overly concerned. Instead, he expressed relief that both he and his team were finally free from the ordeal.

“Look, it has been a very long process, no? I had to deal with this already for months. I think we all know for how long I’m talking about. Obviously I had to take now some decisions in base of the outcome. There are some dates you have to respect throughout this whole process, so you can’t really choose when it comes out or when it doesn’t come out,” Jannik Sinner said.

“In my mind, as I said before, you know, I’m just happy that it’s finally out, you know, because it’s one kind of relief also for me and my team, which is still here. Obviously because of that, the preparation for this tournament has not been perfect because, you know, of certain circumstances. Now it’s out and that’s it,” he added.

At the US Open, Sinner will begin his campaign facing Mackenzie McDonald, with the possibility of a high-stakes semifinal clash against Carlos Alcaraz on the horizon.