"I don't know that": Carlos Alcaraz shares reason behind not contacting Jannik Sinner during three-month ban

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz has opened up the reason behind not reaching out to Italy’s Jannik Sinner during his three-month ban. Both players faced off in the final of the Rome Open where the young Spaniard came out on top in straight sets with a score of 7-6, 6-1.

Despite the result, Sinner would have been happy with his performance as it was his first tournament since the Australian Open back in January. The reigning world number one tested positive for the banned substance clostebol in two doping tests in March last year. He managed to escape the ban in the early proceedings as The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) declared him innocent following a detailed hearing where his counsel claimed that the substance was available in the player’s sample because he came in close contact with his physio Naldi who used to spray for the treatment of a cut on his finger.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed against the ITIA’s verdict in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and demanded a two-year ban for the three-time Grand Slam winner. However, the issue finally came to a conclusion as WADA announced that they had reached an agreement with Sinner, which will result in the player remaining out of action for three months. His ban ended just a few days before the start of the Rome Masters.

Sinner, in an interview during his ban, stated that not many fellow players reached out to him. Alcaraz spoke to the media after the match, where he was asked about the reason behind not getting in touch with the three-time Grand Slam winner. The current world number two stated that one of the reasons why he did not contact Sinner was because he was ‘playing’.

“I don't know if he was thinking about me, he wasn't thinking about me,” he said. “I don't know that. Well, I mean, for three months I can't feel him because I wasn't in that position. I mean, I can understand that he was surprised about some players who called him. I didn't call him. I didn't talk to him in those three months. But it wasn't about if I was agreed or not. I mean, I was playing. I was in my feelings, as well. Honestly, I can understand him that he was surprised about some other players who didn't call him. It is in his rights to say it. I have to say that I don't know if he said that because of me or not. What I can say is when he got injured sometimes just giving him my good energy just to have him back as soon as possible. It is about we're playing, fighting each other. In that three months, I can understand him, what he said. Honestly, I don't know if he was thinking about some players or others.”