Jannik Sinner says he and the majority of people have moved on from his anti-doping case after cruising into the second round at Wimbledon on Tuesday.
The world No.1 dropped just seven games during his 6-4, 6-3, 6-0, triumph over compatriot Luca Nardi. Sinner is now 15-0 against fellow Italian players at ATP level and has won 25 Grand Slam matches whilst currently ranked world No.1. Overall, he has 75 match wins at majors, which is a tally that no other player from his country has achieved in the Open Era.
During his latest match, Sinner was particularly clinical behind his first serve, winning 34 out of 38 points played. He also produced 28 winners alongside 17 unforced errors whilst playing on Centre Court.
“I feel quite comfortable at the moment. We worked a lot in this week of preparation with the serve, trying to slow the rhythm a little bit in the beginning,” said Sinner.
“Today it felt very well, especially the first serve. He (Nardi) was also struggling to return the second serve. But I’m happy about the progress.”
Since reaching the quarter-finals at SW19 last year, Sinner has added five more ATP titles to his collection, with two of those being won at Grand Slam events. However, he had a tougher battle away from the court due to the fallout of his anti-doping violation.
He tested positive for the banned steroid clostebol twice in 2024 but was cleared of wrongdoing by a panel of three independent experts who concluded that he had no fault. The panel accepted Sinner’s explanation that his former physio was using a spray for a cut on his hand that contained clostebol, and he unintentionally contaminated him during treatment.
However, WADA then launched an appeal arguing that the Italian had a degree of fault as he employs his team and is therefore partly responsible for making sure they are following correct protocol. At first, they sought a ban of between one and two years before agreeing to a three-month ban via a case resolution settlement.
“At the beginning, it was a bit different. People saw me in different ways,” said Sinner.
“But I think they all saw that I’m a very clean player. I was never intending to do anything bad. I always try to be the best I can, having a good team around me. That’s exactly what I try to do in the future.
“The things I can control, I will control, as I always say, also on the court and off the court.”
Both the International Tennis Integrity Association (ITIA) and WADA accepted that no evidence suggests Sinner intentionally meant to take a banned substance. The argument for his suspension related to his responsibility for managing those in his team.
Sinner’s focus is now on trying to add more silverware to his collection and recovering from his Paris heartbreak. At the French Open, he had a trio of championship points in the final against Carlos Alcaraz but ended up losing after almost five-and-a-half hours of play.
“For sure, the last month was not easy at times. But in the other way, it was beautiful,” he explained.
“So many things happened. Never thought that I would play a final of a Grand Slam like this.
“Now I’m here. I’m here to show myself that I’m capable of playing tennis also on grass. I showed it last year. I felt like I have improved a lot on this surface. So let’s see what I can do this year.”
