Indirectly involved in the doping affair which threatens world number 1 Jannik Sinner, who tested positive for clostebol this year, the Italian’s former physiotherapist wishes to talk about what really happened.
When he started the US Open, the revelations of his positive steroid test were still very fresh. The outcry did not prevent him from lifting the trophy at Flushing Meadows. When he started the Masters 1000 in Shanghai, the world anti-doping agency had just appealed, demanding a suspension of one to two years for the Italian player, who thought the matter was over.
Jannik Sinner did not always seem comfortable in the midst of controversy but the Italian ignored his extra-sporting setbacks to concentrate on tennis. Imperturbable on Sunday, in the final, he overpowered a strong Novak Djokovic. “I feel strong when I go on court and I try to stay focused on everything I do,” he explained at a press conference.
But the impression given on the court after the match was not that of a completely reassured player, on the contrary. Jannik Sinner remains concerned, and he admitted it after his victory, speaking of an uncomfortable situation. “This year has been very difficult for me given the circumstances and at times I lost my smile a little because I had problems off the court which, sometimes, are still on my mind.”
“Give an overview”
If he wanted to put it out of his mind, the doping affair once again burst into this daily life that he would like to be more peaceful, last weekend. His former physiotherapist, Giacomo Naldi, ousted from his staff in the middle of a media storm, spoke in the Italian press during the presentation of a project in Milan. “I’m sorry like everyone else, but I can’t say more because unfortunately it’s not over yet,” he said regarding the specter of a doping suspension which darkens the horizon of Jannik Sinner.
“I hope, sooner or later, to be able to also tell what really happened to give an overview,” he told the Italian daily Leggo. “Because, based on the way this affair was interpreted by the general public, it seems like it’s all my fault. But that’s not the case, as those who have read the sentence know. I realize that not everyone has made this effort. “
If he is at the heart of the doping affair which affects Jannik Sinner, Giacomo Naldi did not buy the famous incriminated spray containing the banned substance which put Jannik Sinner under the threat of a long suspension, according to the story delivered by Sinner’s entourage.
It was the physical trainer Umberto Ferrara who obtained the spray containing clostebol before recommending it to Naldi to treat the cut on his left little finger. Naldi then allegedly massaged Sinner daily without knowing that the spray he used contained clostebol, traces of which were found in the player’s urine on two occasions in March.
Despite the end of their collaboration, Giacomo Naldi assures that he maintains “a cordial relationship” with Jannik Sinner. Caught up in this affair when he had been cleared by the International Agency for the Integrity of Tennis (Itia), Jannik Sinner is hopeful that the outcome will once again be “very positive”, he assured before attack the Shanghai tournament. Jannik Sinner and his entourage have always pleaded involuntary contamination.
