Sinner opens up about his doping
case after beating Fritz for ATP Finals trophy before his home fans
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[November 18, 2024]
TURIN, Italy (AP) — Sleepless nights. Constant thoughts of what went
wrong — and how it could have been prevented.
Jannik Sinner opened up about his ongoing doping case after beating
U.S. Open runner-up Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-4 on Sunday for the ATP
Finals trophy before his home fans.
Sinner tested positive in two separate drug tests in March and a
decision to clear him of wrongdoing was appealed by the World
Anti-Doping Agency in September. A final ruling is expected from the
Court of Arbitration for Sport early next year.
Sinner’s explanation was that the banned performance-enhancer
entered his system unintentionally through a massage from his
physiotherapist, who had used a spray containing the steroid to
treat his own cut finger.
“I've kept on thinking about where we went wrong and what we could
have done better,” Sinner said in Italian. “I had days where I
wasn't feeling great; nights when I didn't sleep well.
“But when I put my hat on, I don't think about what's going on
beyond the court,” Sinner added. “I'm fortunate to have people
around me who keep me stable. Thanks to them we've continued to work
hard every day like there's no tomorrow and we've even improved in
this period.”
Sinner's performance has approached domination lately
Sinner's victory in Turin was the latest big achievement in a year
full of them following his first two Grand Slam titles at the
Australian Open and U.S. Open and clinching the year-end No. 1
ranking.
Sinner has won 26 of his last 27 matches and ends the ATP season
with eight titles and an overall record of 70-6.
“The work will never stop. We know we still have room for
improvement,” Sinner said. “But it’s been an incredible season and
there’s no better place to finish the season than here.”
Sinner also beat Fritz in the US Open final and the group stage
Sinner maintained his recent mastery over Fritz, having also beaten
the American in the U.S. Open final in September and in the group
stage this week at the elite event for the year’s top eight players.
By sweeping all five of his matches en route to the trophy, Sinner
earned $4.8 million — the largest winner’s prize on the men’s tour.
Sinner became the first Italian to win the finals and he went one
step further than last year, when he lost the championship match to
Novak Djokovic, who withdrew this time. And he did so without
dropping a set – which was last accomplished by Ivan Lendl in 1986.
“I just tried to understand whatever works best for each opponent,”
Sinner said. “It was a very high-level tournament from my side. At
times, I couldn’t play better.”
The crowd was decked out in orange — Sinner's theme color
The crowd inside Inalpi Arena included multiple clusters of fans
wearing orange — a tribute to Sinner’s red- and orange-colored hair,
and how he once ate carrots during a match. There were orange carrot
costumes, orange wigs, orange hats, jackets and plenty of other
orange items, too.
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Italy's Jannik Sinner reacts after winning the singles final tennis
match of the ATP World Tour Finals against United States' Taylor
Fritz, at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024.
(AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Some fans even had carrots in their mouths.
The crowd broke into its customary chant of “Ole, Ole, Ole; Sin-ner,
Sin-ner” when Sinner produced a drop-shot winner to break for a 4-3
lead in the first set.
Sinner faced a break point while serving for the first set but saved
it with a big serve out wide that Fritz couldn’t return. Then he
served an ace — his 10th of the set — to close it out.
Another break by Sinner early in the second and the match was
virtually over.
Sinner led 14-8 in aces and gave Fritz hardly any chances
Sinner served better than he had all week, leading 14-8 in aces
without any double-faults.
“He served absolutely lights out. So many lines,” Fritz said. “He
placed the serve great. He took a lot of risk on the second serve as
well. I think that was probably one of his main game plans, to not
let me attack his second serve.”
Fritz will still rise to a career-high No. 4
Fritz was attempting to become the event’s first American champion
since Pete Sampras beat Andre Agassi in the title match 25 years
ago.
Still, Fritz will rise to a career-high No. 4 in the rankings on
Monday after beating No. 2 Alexander Zverev in a third-set
tiebreaker in the semifinals on Saturday. That will make him the
highest-ranked American man since Andy Roddick was No. 4 in August
2007.
It’s the latest in a series of achievements for Fritz, whose run in
New York made him the first American man to reach a Grand Slam
singles final since Roddick lost to Roger Federer at Wimbledon in
2009.
“I feel like I’ve gone up a level and I’m much more confident in my
game,” Fritz said.
At the start of the week, Fritz told The Associated Press that his
“career has always been a very steady progression and just improving
a little bit each year.”
Davis Cup and Nadal's retirement are next
Both Sinner and Fritz will conclude their seasons representing
defending champion Italy and the United States, respectively, in the
Davis Cup finals, which start Tuesday in Malaga, Spain, and which
will also mark Rafael Nadal's retirement.
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