Mathieu Warnier, Media365: published on Sunday October 13, 2024 at 9:30 p.m.
Facing doping accusations, Jannik Sinner confided after his success in the Shanghai Masters 1000 final that this situation weighs on him and makes him lose his smile.
For the seventh time this season, Jannik Sinner lifted the trophy. Winner in two sets against Novak Djokovic in the final of the Masters 1000 in Shanghai, the world number 1 consolidated his status. However, he has been playing for several weeks with a sword of Damocles hanging over his head. Testing positive for clostebol twice last March, the Italian was initially cleared by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA). However, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) revived the case by appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and requesting a suspension of one or two years. After the success acquired this Sunday, Jannik Sinner admitted that the year was “very, very hard” for him and that it could begin to show. “I lost my smile a little bit because I had problems off the court, and I still have them in mind,” he added at a press conference. It’s never easy to play in these circumstances, but I just tried to enjoy it as best I could on the court. »
Sinner: “I try not to think about it”
While he could lose the benefit of his performances since the start of the season, Jannik Sinner does not hide that this weighs on him more than he wants to admit. “People think that because you win or are successful, you don’t have problems, but that’s not true,” he said after this success over Novak Djokovic. My situation is not comfortable, I would like not to be in this position off the court and play more freely, enjoy it more. But you have to accept it. » Assuring that he feels strong on the court and tries to put his problems out of his mind, Jannik Sinner does not hide that this is not possible all the time. “I try not to think about it, to stay focused on everything I do and I give 100% in every training or match,” he concluded. But of course, there are times when I think about it. So we take successes in a different way. What I learned is that success will never change me as a person, no matter the results. » The Italian must now wait for the outcome of the appeal filed by WADA.
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