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."