Nadal's uncle supports Sinner over doping controversy

Uncle of the former world number one Rafael Nadal has defended Italy’s Jannik Sinner in the doping case and believes that the right decision was made in his case. The 23-year-old is already regarded as one of the best players currently playing in men’s tennis in the singles category along with Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz and Serbia’s Novak Djokovic.

Sinner has been in the news recently for all the wrong reasons. He narrowly escape a ban after being tested positive for banned substance on two occasions in doping tests. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) in a detailed statement explained the reason behind not handing Sinner a ban.

That decision, however, received widespread criticism from the fans as well as some current and former players, including Australia’s Nick Kyrgios. Toni, who is the uncle of the former world number one Nadal and also worked as a tennis coach, was recently quoted in a report where he defended Sinner. The 63-year-old not only claimed that the Italian is one of the most ‘well-mannered’ on the tour but also expressed disappointment in the reaction of the press, who criticised how the matter was dealt with. He stated that it was also surprising how some of Sinner’s colleagues wanted to see him banned from the sport despite doing nothing wrong.

“I know the player well enough to be able to say without a shadow of a doubt that he is one of the most correct and well-mannered guys on the circuit. For me it is unthinkable that he could act in an unfair manner. There was a problem within his team that he paid for quite dearly with the financial penalty and the loss of ATP points. It leaves me very perplexed how some of the press, instead of criticizing the excessive sanctions of other occasions, now demands a similar punishment for the world number 1. It is not surprising that there are always people who take the right to speak and judge without fully knowing the case. It really amazes me even more that there are other tennis players on the tour who have taken a stand against him. I don't understand how some of his colleagues who know him well, have trained with him and faced him in matches doubt his innocence or want a punishment against him that, strictly speaking, would be absolutely disproportionate."