Jannik Sinner says the recent departure of two members from his team hasn’t affected his preparations for Wimbledon.
The world No.1 confirmed for the first time on Saturday that he is no longer working with physiotherapist Marco Panichi and fitness trainer Ulises Badio following media reports. He had been working with the duo since September and won a trio of titles with them in his team, including this year’s Australian Open. Sinner confirmed the decision was made shortly after Halle where he was beaten in the second round by Alexander Bublik in what was his first loss to a player outside the top 20 since 2023.
“Nothing major happened. Nothing big happened. I parted ways not long ago, but it’s not affecting me,” Sinner told reporters during media weekend at Wimbledon.
“I feel ready to compete. I feel free. I feel me and my team, we are ready to do the best we can.
“I’m here to play good tennis. I think that’s my main goal, the main reason why I’m here. We’ve reached incredible results in the past with them, so obviously huge thanks to them. We did a great job, but I decided to do something different.”
Sinner, who is bidding to become the first Italian man to win a Wimbledon singles title, didn’t go into the specifics about why the collaboration has ended so close to a Grand Slam. Although, he stated that there was ‘no one specific thing’ that influenced his decision.
Since returning to the Tour following a 90-day suspension for an anti-doping violation, Sinner has yet to win a title. Although he came agonizingly close at the French Open where he had a trio of match points against Carlos Alcaraz but failed to convert them.
“Nothing crazy happened. That’s for sure not,” he stated.
“The final in Roland Garros was an amazing achievement. In this sport things can happen. “There is nothing incredible because sometimes a player feels something different, and that’s my case.
“I’m here to play tennis. I’m here to show that I can play some good tennis also on grass.”
Both Panichi and Badio are former members of Novak Djokovic’s camp. Badio and the Serbian split after the 2022 season, while Panichi and Djokovic stopped working together in May 2024. When asked about Sinner’s decision, the 24-time major champion admitted he was surprised.
“It came as a surprise to me as well because I think Jannik’s game and body really has improved so much in the last year, year-and-a-half. They’ve been an integral part of that team,” said Djokovic.
“But changes happen. It doesn’t necessarily only relate to your professional relationship. It could be something private. It could be many different factors that are deciding whether you want to stay working with somebody or not.
“As somebody that also has made changes, I understand that sometimes you just are not aligned anymore Then you just split. Maybe you’re looking for something new, something different.”
Sinner will begin his Wimbledon bid against Luca Nardi on Tuesday.
