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Sinner revealed that he was criticised for having received preferential treatment, however, he denied any substance to the claims.
Jannik Sinner. (X)
Italian tennis star Jannik Sinner opened up on the challenges he faces on the tour after returning from the three-month ban he accepted following failed doping tests that originally threatened to suspend the 23-year-old for upto two years. He was let off the hook for a lengthier punishment after WADA and ITIA declared that the contamination he sustained did not give him a competitive boost.
Sinner revealed that he was criticised for having received preferential treatment, however, he denied any substance to the claims. His ban concludes on Sunday, and the home favourite will return to action in Rome.
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“I’ve been criticised for supposedly being treated differently (to other players who tested positive), but it’s not true,” said Sinner ahead of the Italian Open.
“I’ve had to go to a lot of hearings and they’ve probably tested me more than others,” he added.
“I don’t want to respond to criticism, people are free to say what they want and judge people. What matters to me is that I known what I’ve been through, it was difficult and I wouldn’t wish anyone to go through that as an innocent person,” he said.
Sinner has always maintained that the banned substance, clostebol, entered his system when his physiotherapist used a spray to treat a cut before providing some sports therapy.
“When there’s contamination, as happened to me, or if you ingest something while eating without realising it, and the doctors say it doesn’t give you more strength or clarity, that’s a different matter. There’s a whole protocol,” Sinner said.
“I really had a hard time accepting the three months because in my mind, I didn’t do anything wrong.”
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Sinner opened up about nearly giving it all up following the cold treatment he received in the dressing room following the issue.
“I wasn’t comfortable in the dressing room, the other players looked at me differently,” he said.
“I didn’t like it at all. I felt like being in tennis with that atmosphere was too much. I was always someone who joked about, who went in the dressing room speaking with whoever, but it became different, I wasn’t at ease,” the 24-year-old concluded.
