Jannik Sinner has said his decision to reunite with fitness coach Umberto Ferrera was because he needed somebody who ‘knows his body better.’
The world No.1 confirmed last month he is once again working with Ferrera, whom he fired from his team less than a year ago following the fallout from his two failed anti-doping tests. In 2024, Sinner twice tested positive for low levels of the banned drug clostebol. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) accepted that the Italian was accidentally contaminated with the substance and cleared him of wrongdoing before the World Anti-Doping appealed against that verdict.
WADA argued that Sinner had an element of responsibility because he is in charge of those in his team and should be making sure they are following the correct procedure at all times. The case was set to be heard at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but a case settlement was agreed before it took place. Sinner accepted a 90-day suspension following the Australian Open in January.
At the time, Sinner’s former physio Giacomo Naldi inadvertently contaminated him after using Trofodermin (which is available over the counter in Italy) for a cut on his hand, which contained the banned substance. Ferrara, who was head of anti-doping compliance in Sinner’s team, was the person who gave Naldi the Trofodermin to use.
Unlike Sinner, neither Naldi nor Ferrara faced any sort of penalty because the ITIA’s investigation was focused on the tennis player. It was up to the discretion of Italy’s anti-doping body if they wanted to launch an investigation into Ferrara, which they didn’t, as the level of intentionality was not deemed significant, according to a report published by Corriere della Sera in February.
Now that the duo have reunited on the Tour, Sinner has been reluctant to publicly speak about the situation until now. Speaking to reporters following his 6-2, 6-0, win over Felix Auger-Aliassime at the Cincinnati Masters, the 23-year-old defended his latest decision.
“It was a different situation. Now everything is different. I felt like, at this point, I needed someone who knew my body better,” Sinner responded to a question asked by journalist Ben Rothenberg.
Pressed further by Rothenberg, Sinner was asked to explain what he meant by having somebody who ‘knows his body better.’
“We worked together for about two years before this break. His work has brought me a lot of benefits,” he explained.
“We worked on every area of my body: mobility, stability, and even my body’s endurance has improved. I think he did a great job.
“I also got along well with Marco [Panichi], but maybe he wasn’t the best choice. I’ve always had a good feeling about Umberto.”
In Cincinnati, Sinner has become the fifth player this century to register 25 consecutive wins on hard courts. Following in the footsteps of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal. Furthermore, he is currently on an 11-match winning streak.
In the semi-finals, he will play qualifier Terence Atmane, who is experiencing an extraordinary run at the event. The French qualifier has already produced wins over Flavio Cobolli, Joao Fonseca, Taylor Fritz and Holger Rune. He has become the eighth-lowest-ranked ATP Masters 1000 semi-finalist since the format was introduced in 1990.
