Sinner considered quitting tennis amid doping furore
Italian tennis star Jannik Sinner admits he considered quitting the sport because of the turmoil surrounding his doping suspension.
Asked in an interview on Italian broadcaster Rai TV if there was ever a moment he wanted to give it all up, the 23-year-old world No.1 hesitated briefly before responding: "Yes. I remember that I wasn't in a very happy place before the Australian Open this year."
At the start of January in Melbourne - a grand slam he won - it was still unclear if Sinner would face a lengthy suspension because of his doping case from 2024, when he blamed a masseur for giving him a banned cream.
In the end, a deal was made whereby he would receive a short three-month ban and return for the Italian Open, which starts next week.
Sinner said he was anxious at the turn of the year about what 2025 might bring.
"I arrived in Australia and didn't feel comfortable, whether in the locker room or while eating. The players were looking at me differently. That wasn't nice," he said.
"It's hard to live like that in tennis. I've always been someone who jokes around, goes into the locker room, and talks to this or that player. But now it was different, and it didn't feel good."
The three-time grand slam champion does not believe he received any special treatment despite the short length of the ban following various hearings.
"There were no different procedures, even though there was criticism in my case that I was treated differently. But I had many hearings. And maybe they even tested me more afterwards," Sinner said.
"I struggled to accept those three months. In my mind, I thought I didn't do anything wrong. I wouldn't wish anyone to go through something like this as an innocent person."
Sinner's comments come in the same week that dual grand slam doubles champion Max Purcell accepted an 18-month ban for breaching anti-doping rules.
In December, the 27-year-old Australian entered a voluntary provisional suspension after admitting to breaching Article 2.2 of the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP) "relating to the use of a prohibited method".
Purcell received IV infusions of more than 500ml twice in December 2023 after falling ill in Bali, with the limit under the World Anti-Doping Code and TADP 100ml in a 12-hour period.
After an investigation by the International Tennis Integrity Agency, Purcell's penalty was reduced by 25 per cent because of his "full co-operation and information sharing".
With time served under the voluntary provisional suspension, Purcell's suspension ends on June 11, 2026.
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'It became common knowledge to know his ex-lovers' full names because he would talk about it,' she said. Three employees who worked with Barbagallo at I Carusi in the early 2000s said Barbagallo had sexual relationships with much younger staff. 'I remember at the time being like, 'Why the f--- are her parents not stepping in here?'' one former employee said, noting the staff, though younger, were still consenting adults. 'He was so inappropriate with all the young staff, myself included. He'd touch your back when you walked past him. He was so creepy. It was such a gnarly vibe.' Barbagallo came onto Melbourne's culinary scene in 1998, opening a no-frills pizza restaurant in Brunswick East, I Carusi. He expanded over the years to open venues in St Kilda and Melbourne's CBD, where complaints of aggressive and inappropriate behaviour continued to mount. Barbagallo was declared bankrupt in 2011, according to corporate documents, and shut his Lonsdale Street restaurant and ended his involvement with all I Carusi restaurants. Public bankruptcy documents obtained by this masthead that were signed in June 2011 show Barbagallo had $500 to his name and debts of $1,223,631, including $267,000 to Carusi and $40,000 to Mercedes-Benz Finance. When he opened Kaprica in Carlton soon after, Barbagallo reportedly 'slaved away solo in the kitchen' for the first six months 'almost like he was doing penance'. But staff claim there was a haphazard approach to managing the restaurant's finances. 'The entire business was in cash,' said one person who worked as Barbagallo's informal assistant in 2015. 'So we were paid in cash, payments from customers were in cash. I would drive my bike to deposit like $15,000 worth of cash and he would pay his rent and children's lessons out of that money.' 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While Kaprica paid an hourly rate higher than average, more than a dozen employees said Barbagallo does not provide payslips and transfers wages directly to bank accounts using calculations from paper time sheets. Two employees became worried about Barbagallo's failure to pay superannuation and tax on their wages last year, and were given access to his books for a day in an attempt to solve their issues. 'It was sheets of random bits of paper strewn around the place, and there were things like where there would be a month missing from this person's pay. 'Then it took months for it to go to the accountant and be in the accounts. It was just an incredible level of procrastination.' Screenshots from a WhatsApp group of Kaprica staff show conversations about payment irregularities were common. 'Sorry to keep asking but does anyone have news on tax?' one employee wrote last September. 'No,' another responded. 'Last I heard he messaged his accountant and he never got a response … Not really a good enough reason, it's his responsibility.' Text messages show another employee was sacked this month after they told Barbagallo they were underpaid for public holiday shifts and pushed for their full entitlements. 'Yep there is a mistake on my behalf which I'll fix tonight,' Barbagallo responded. 'Also you should learn some manners. And finally I think it best you found employment elsewhere.' The employee responded: 'Manners?? Why am I being fired?' It took weeks of messages for Barbagallo to pay the employee, who followed up multiple times. Another former employee said she saw text messages on the restaurant phone from a former staff member begging for superannuation payments months after they had left. 'We would get text after text from this employee who was like, 'Come on Pietro … It's been six months. How are you still not replying to me? Please.' He was ignoring her.' Lauder said these were longstanding practices and behaviours that Barbagallo needed to be held accountable for. 'I've been in the industry for 31 years. I've worked as a chef, front-of-house, late-night cocktail bars. 'I don't think there is ever any reason for anyone to lose their shit, shout at people, throw things. Nothing is ever that stressful. 'It's dinner. He's not saving lives. If you can't handle it, you're in the wrong job.'
