Jannik Sinner rehires Umberto Ferrara, who bought spray at center of anti-doping case

New York Times

5 days ago

Jannik Sinner has rehired Umberto Ferrara, the fitness coach who purchased the healing spray at the center of his doping case.
A statement sent by Sinner's management team on Wednesday confirmed that: 'Jannik Sinner has reappointed Umberto Ferrara as his fitness coach with immediate effect. The decision has been made in alignment with Jannik's management team as part of ongoing preparations for upcoming tournaments, including the Cincinnati Open and U.S. Open.
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'Umberto has played an important role in Jannik's development to date, and his return reflects a renewed focus on continuity and performance at the highest level.'
Ferrara purchased Trofodermin, an over-the-counter wound treatment readily available in Italy which contains the banned anabolic steroid clostebol, in Bologna in February of 2024.
A month later, Sinner twice tested positive for clostebol. Sinner quickly and successfully appealed against the provisional suspensions for both tests, before an independent tribunal convened by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) ruled that he bore 'no fault or negligence' for them in August last year.
Sinner's explanation on all three occasions was that his physio, Giacomo Naldi, had used the spray purchased by Ferrara on a cut on his hand, before massaging Sinner and treating his feet. Those treatments had contaminated Sinner with the clostebol. The ITIA accepted his explanation, and that he did not intentionally dope, but a few days after its decision, Sinner parted company with Ferrara and Naldi, who had been part of the team that took him to world No. 1.
'I'm not feeling that confident to continue with them,' Sinner said of the pair during a news conference ahead of last year's U.S. Open.
He ultimately served a three-month ban, after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed against the 'no fault or negligence' ruling to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Before that appeal was heard, WADA entered into a case resolution agreement with Sinner, with its special counsel Ross Wenzel describing his case as 'a million miles' from doping.
In April this year, Ferrara said in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport that he had warned his colleagues of the risks attached to the spray.
'I very clearly communicated to Naldi both the nature of the product, and the fact that it must not come into contact with Jannik for any reason,' he said. Naldi did not respond to a text message from The Athletic seeking comment.
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Sinner had fired fitness coach Marco Panichi and physiotherapist Ulises Badio, both former members of Novak Djokovic's camp, on the eve of this year's Wimbledon, which he won. Sinner, who beat Carlos Alcaraz in the final, has won three of the four Grand Slams in the year since parting ways with Ferrara and Naldi.
(Photo of Jannik Sinner (center-left) and Umberto Ferrara (center): Andy Chung / Getty Images)