Jannik Sinner opens up on how doping controversy affected run to US Open title in great reset

Italian tennis star Jannik Sinner has stated that he is ‘happy’ with how he has dealt with the situation after winning the US Open 2024. The 23-year-old is already regarded as one of the best men’s tennis players in the singles category in the world, along with the likes of Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz and Serbia’s Novak Djokovic.

On Sunday, Sinner lifted his second Grand Slam as he defeated America’s Taylor Fritz in the final of the US Open in New York in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 6-4, 7-5. He became the first Italian player in the Open era to lift the singles title at the Flashing Meadows. The win was a special one for the reigning top player in the ATP rankings, as before the tournament started, he was in the news for the wrong reasons.

The San Candido-born recently escaped a ban after testing positive for a banned substance in two doping tests. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), in a detailed statement, clarified why they decided not to ban Sinner and accepted the player’s plea that the banned substance was positive in his sample in a very small quantity because of a mistake from one member of the coaching staff.

That decision, however, received widespread criticism from fans on the social media including some of the current and former players as well. Sinner, talking to the media after the title triumph, highlight how important the victory was and also stated that he was proud of the way he dealt with things.

“I'm happy how I handled this one,” he said. “I'm just excited to have this trophy with me. It was and it's still a little bit in my mind. It's not that it's gone, but when I'm on court, I try to focus about the game, I try to handle the situation the best possible way. Obviously it was very difficult for me to enjoy in certain moments. During this tournament, slowly I restarted to feel a little bit more how I am as a person. It was not easy, that's for sure, but in the other way I tried to stay focused, which I guess I've done a great job mentally staying there every point I play, and that's it. I just can talk from my side and from my team's perspective, and we are all very proud of this achievement."