Sinner brings athletic trainer Umberto Ferrara back into the team

In an essential press release, Jannik Sinner announces that he has brought athletic trainer Umberto Ferrara - sacked over the Clostebol affair - back into the team with immediate effect. Another twist, then, after the dismissal, immediately before Wimbledon, of Marco Panichi (who had just joined Holger Rune's staff) and Ulises Badio. 'The decision was taken in agreement with Jannik's management team,' reads the statement, 'as part of the ongoing preparations for upcoming tournaments, including the Cincinnati Open and the Us Open. Umberto has played an important role in Jannik's growth to date and his return reflects a renewed focus on continuity and performance at the highest level'. Ferrara had been on Sinner's staff from May 2022 until last September, when he was sent away along with physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi after the Clostebol case. The case resulted in Sinner's three-month suspension from the circuit from February to last May.

In March 2024, during the Indian Wells tournament, Sinner had tested positive twice for the doping substance, in infinitesimal quantities that could not have enhanced his performance (as was established by the investigation). The anabolic steroid was contained in a cream bought in Italy from Ferrara and given to Naldi for a finger injury. The physiotherapist would then inadvertently transmit it to Sinner through a massage. These were the facts always maintained by the tennis player and led to the dismissal of the two team members because - Sinner had said - trust in them had broken down. The affair was not made public until August, shortly before the Us Open, which the world number one went on to win - winning the second of his four Grand Slam titles - and where he will shortly play as defending champion, having to defend a considerable amount of points.

An unsettling move, which could reignite the controversy fuelled especially by the British press during the Wimbledon tournament, when the doping-positive affair was often recalled alongside the chronicle of Jannik's ride and his final triumph with Alcaraz.