Tennis world rocked as Jannik Sinner re-hires fitness coach 12 months after he was sacked amid doping scandal
This week Sinner made the decision to reappoint former fitness coach Umberto Ferrara to his team, with immediate effect, a year after the pair parted ways.
The world no.1 sacked Ferrara and physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi in September 2024 after the tennis star tested positive to a trace amount of the anabolic steroid Clostebol.
Sinner's team said the decision to bring Ferrara back was "made in alignment with Jannik's management team as part of ongoing preparations for upcoming tournaments, including the Cincinnati Open and US Open".
'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.'
The decision to bring the controversial coach back has sparked debate in the tennis world, with Kyrgios leading the calls criticising the move.
"He got the same doc back, we have been played ladies and gentlemen," Kyrgios posted on X alongside laughing emojis.
Another prominent Australian in the tennis community, former doubles star Paul McNamee labelled it "one of the most astonishing PR moves in tennis history".
'You can afford to hire anyone in the world. Why, oh why, Jannik?' he posted.
Some of Sinner's fans also vented frustration over his decision.
"Jannik buddy, I don't know how I'm going to defend against Novak fans this time," one said.
"Jannik plays amazing but this is beyond disgusting," another said.
"This looks so bad," a third commented on social media.
Last year, Sinner had points stripped after two positive doping tests, but was cleared of any wrongdoing by an independent tribunal.
After initially escaping a ban, the World Anti-Doping Agency appealed the tribunal's decision which led to Sinner serving a three-month suspension earlier this year from February to May, which meant he didn't miss out on any of the Grand Slam events.
Sinner claimed that Ferrara bought a nasal spray in Italy to give to the physiotherapist to treat a cut on his hand, and that the latter than gave the tennis star a massage without wearing gloves.
The 2025 Wimbledon Championships were shrouded in controversy as the winners of both men's singles and women's singles - Sinner, and Iga Swiatek - received friendly bans for doping.
Swiatek received just a one-month suspension after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine.
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