logo
Jannik Sinner rehires the fitness coach he fired for playing a role in his doping case

Jannik Sinner rehires the fitness coach he fired for playing a role in his doping case

ROME (AP) — Wimbledon champion Jannik Sinner has rehired Umberto Ferrara as his fitness coach nearly a year after firing him for his role in the top-ranked player's doping case.
The move comes after
Sinner recently removed fitness coach Marco Panichi and physiotherapist Ulises Badio
from his team.
'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,' a statement from Sinner's team said Wednesday.
Last year,
Sinner tested positive twice for a trace amount of an anabolic steroid
in March; the case wasn't made public until August, shortly before the U.S. Open, which he ended up winning for the second of his four Grand Slam titles.
He initially was completely cleared, based on the defense that he accidentally was exposed to the banned substance, Clostebol, via a massage from his then-physiotherapist, Giacomo Naldi. Sinner said his fitness trainer at the time, Ferrara, purchased a product in Italy and gave it to Naldi for a cut on Naldi's finger. Naldi then treated Sinner while not wearing gloves.
Sinner then fired Naldi and Ferrara, and Ferrara was hired briefly by Matteo Berrettini, another Italian player.
The World Anti-Doping Agency appealed the exoneration, and Sinner agreed to serve a three-month ban that
ended right before the Italian Open
in May of this year.
Sinner, who won Wimbledon this month, will return to action at the Cincinnati Open next month as he prepares to defend his U.S. Open title.
___
AP tennis:
https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Euro 2025: Spain's style vs. England's will to win sets up fascinating final
Euro 2025: Spain's style vs. England's will to win sets up fascinating final

Associated Press

timea few seconds ago

  • Associated Press

Euro 2025: Spain's style vs. England's will to win sets up fascinating final

BASEL, Switzerland (AP) — A title game between defending champion England and World Cup winner Spain is the Women's European Championship final that many wanted. How they got to Basel on Sunday is a whole other story. Spain has mostly cruised through its five games except for a late scare in a tense semifinal against Germany. England has trailed for long periods of three games and survived being on the brink of elimination in both knockout games. Spain is a supremely technical team with a dream midfield pairing two-time Ballon d'Or winners Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmatí. England has incredible will to win and has called a pair of dramatic game-changers off the bench, Michelle Agyemang and Chloe Kelly. 'We always have the confidence that in terms of positioning and having possession, we tend to be very precise and it's difficult to take the ball off us,' Putellas said. 'So we're ready for anything.″ It looks like an ideal final of contrasting styles. One made possible only because England's humbling opening 2-1 loss to France ultimately kept the title holder out of Spain's side of the knockout bracket. Leaders and trailers Four vs. 219. That's the number of minutes Spain has trailed at Euro 2025 games compared to England. Spain fell behind between the 10th and 14th minutes of a group-stage game against Italy when some starters were rested because the team was likely to finish top. England gave up two first-half goals against France in their group, again to Sweden in the quarterfinals and one more to Italy in the semifinals. England's equalizing goals by Agyemang in the knockout games came in, respectively, the 81st and then the sixth minute of stoppage time. 'I think we've nearly killed her twice this tournament!' England's Ella Toone said of coach Sarina Wiegman. 'She says we've definitely aged her.' Spain midfielder Patri Guijarro said of England's resolve: ″There's no fragility. And I think that above all, their competitiveness, is what has got them this far. But what they're doing is not easy.″ Trading wins Spain and England each beat the other when winning their recent titles, and they traded wins in a UEFA Nations League group this year. England eliminated Spain 2-1 after extra time in the quarterfinals of its home Euro 2022. Does this sound familiar? England trailed into the 84th that day before two substitutes — Alessia Russo and Toone — assisted and scored to force extra time. Spain got a deserved 1-0 win in the 2023 World Cup final played in Sydney, Australia. Spain is now on a run of 13 wins in 14 games and the blip was a 1-0 loss to England at Wembley in February. Spain won the return game 2-1 on June 3, rallying with two Clàudia Pina goals in the second half. Winning women coaches For the eighth straight edition, the title-winning coach will be a woman. England's Wiegman and Spain's Montse Tomé were in a minority of seven female head coaches with the 16 teams that started in Euro 2025. They are the last coaches standing to extend a winning run started in 1997. Wiegman won the past two, with England in 2022 and her native Netherlands in 2017. Germany coaches Silvia Neid and Tina Theune won the previous five. Spain never reached the final in 13 previous editions since 1984. Penalty shootouts That first final 41 years ago is the only one decided by a penalty shootout. Sweden beat England in a rain-soaked, near-empty stadium in Luton after a two-leg final ended 1-1. The scorer of Sweden's decisive penalty, and its goal in the first leg, was Pia Sundhage, who coached Switzerland to the quarterfinals here, losing 2-0 to Spain. England's second shootout in Women's Euros history also was against Sweden, last week in the quarterfinals. A madcap affair saw only five of 14 spot kicks scored and Sweden fail twice when scoring would have sent England home. Spain was involved in just one Women's Euros shootout, losing to Austria in the 2017 quarterfinals. ___ AP soccer:

Verstappen overtakes Piastri to win sprint race at Belgian GP at start of new Red Bull era in F1
Verstappen overtakes Piastri to win sprint race at Belgian GP at start of new Red Bull era in F1

San Francisco Chronicle​

time29 minutes ago

  • San Francisco Chronicle​

Verstappen overtakes Piastri to win sprint race at Belgian GP at start of new Red Bull era in F1

SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium (AP) — Max Verstappen overtook Oscar Piastri and drove '15 qualifying laps' to win the Formula 1 sprint race at the Belgian Grand Prix on Saturday as Red Bull begins a new era without fired team principal Christian Horner. Verstappen surged past Piastri on the straight on the first lap. The Australian was close behind Verstappen for the rest of the 15-lap sprint race but couldn't find a way past the four-time champion. Lando Norris, in the other McLaren, was third after retaking the place from Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and catching up to Piastri. Verstappen races 'over the limit' 'You're keeping faster cars behind, so you have to drive over the limit of what you think is possible,' Verstappen said. 'Tire management is out of the window, so that's what's making it really difficult. I'm just doing 15 qualifying laps to try and keep them behind on a track where tire management is important.' It was Verstappen's first race win of any sort since the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in May, and his first in a sprint since the United States Grand Prix last October. Piastri extends his lead over Norris in the standings to nine points from eight. Verstappen is third, 68 points off the lead. Leclerc held on to fourth and it was an impressive result for Haas, with Esteban Ocon fifth and Oliver Bearman seventh. Carlos Sainz, Jr. was sixth for Williams and Isack Hadjar took the final point for Racing Bulls in eighth. McLaren's dilemma Qualifying takes place later Saturday for Sunday's Grand Prix race, and McLaren has a decision to make after losing out to Verstappen and Red Bull in the sprint. Verstappen couldn't match the McLarens for overall pace but he was fastest where it mattered. He opted for a lower-downforce rear wing to maximize top speed at the cost of grip. That helped Verstappen with his first-lap pass for the lead and then helped ensure Piastri was too far back on the straights to line up an overtake of his own into the following corners. 'I didn't have enough straight-line speed,' Piastri admitted, but said the risk of rain on Sunday would make it a gamble to follow Verstappen's example. 'The weather is looking pretty bad for tomorrow, which obviously means you probably don't want to take off too much wing, but I don't really want to repeat the sprint we've just had,' he said. 'We'll have a look, see what we can do.'

Verstappen overtakes Piastri to win sprint race at Belgian GP at start of new Red Bull era in F1
Verstappen overtakes Piastri to win sprint race at Belgian GP at start of new Red Bull era in F1

Fox Sports

time29 minutes ago

  • Fox Sports

Verstappen overtakes Piastri to win sprint race at Belgian GP at start of new Red Bull era in F1

Associated Press SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium (AP) — Max Verstappen overtook Oscar Piastri to win the Formula 1 sprint race at the Belgian Grand Prix on Saturday as Red Bull begins a new era without fired team principal Christian Horner. Verstappen surged past Piastri on the straight on the first lap. The Australian was close behind Verstappen for the rest of the 15-lap sprint race but couldn't find a way past the four-time champion. Lando Norris, in the other McLaren, was third after retaking the place from Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. Piastri extends his lead over Norris in the standings to nine points from eight. Qualifying takes place later Saturday for Sunday's Grand Prix race. ___ AP auto racing: recommended Item 1 of 3

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store