Umberto Ferrara returns to Jannik Sinner’s coaching staff. This is quite the comeback for the fitness coach after Sinner’s outrageous recent doping suspension. Sinner had already taken Ferrara off during a renaissance period. This storm started when he tested positive for a prohibited substance, leading to a temporary suspension from February 9 through May 4. The suspension was announced just weeks after Sinner was enjoying the fruits of his victory as he celebrated his third Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.
Sinner’s suspension lifted just in time for the highly-regarded French Open. Unfortunately for Kyrgios fans, he lost a heartbreaker to Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. The young Italian had an even better answer at Wimbledon. He atoned for that defeat by defeating Alcaraz and winning his fourth Grand Slam title! This win was Sinner’s first success at the All England Lawn Tennis Club. It served to further endear him to fans while solidifying his status as one of the top players in the sport.
Following the doping suspension, Sinner took immediate action and suddenly reshaped his coaching staff into one of the strongest. He dropped fitness coach Marco Panichi and physiotherapist Ulises Badio before Wimbledon. The coaching staff of Ferrara and physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi were axed in the wake of the ban’s announcement. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) subsequently found that Sinner did nothing wrong. They discovered that the positive tests resulted from contamination following a physio who applied an over-the-counter topical spray to their own skin—not Sinner.
By and large, with Ferrara’s immediate rehiring, Sinner wants to get back to emphasizing stability and focus into his training regime. His management team stated, “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.”
Sinner has been nothing short of prodigious since returning from his suspension. He went on to make the finals of both the French Open and Wimbledon. He is the reigning champion at Flushing Meadows. Given his pedigree, he certainly looks primed to carry his winning ways into the next U.S. Open.
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