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Ex Slam ace worried about Jannik Sinner: “It would be a scandal if he were banned”

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The former French Open winner Adriano Panatta talked about his young countryman Jannik Sinner, involved in the Clostebol doping-issue; a matter that has not yet found a solution, especially after WADA appealed to CAS in Lausanne against the Italian’s acquittal by an independent ITIA tribunal. Panatta, in an exclusive interview with the Italian media La Gazzetta dello Sport, stressed that it would be a scandal if the young ATP No.1 were banned.

“Let’s hope it ends soon and we never talk about it again. I am absolutely convinced that Jannik is completely unrelated to this affair, it is all so obvious. However, with certain institutions, which perhaps think in a different way, unfortunately you cannot have certainties. Anyway, for me it would be a real scandal if he were suspended. Playing with the sword of Damocles hanging over your head, experiencing this as an injustice, is something for a few. He was very good at controlling it and dominating it. It is not easy, because when you have a bug, it eats away at you. Fortunately, he seems immune to everything. It is a nasty story that we would all have gladly done without,” he said.

Jannik Sinner, Six Kings Slam 2024

Jannik Sinner, Six Kings Slam 2024© Stream screenshot

 

Despite this situation of constant uncertainty, Jannik managed to play the best season of his career and also in the United States – after the Clostebol doping issue became public knowledge – he demonstrated that he deserves the throne of the ATP ranking. Sinner first won the ATP Masters 1000 in Cincinnati and then the second Slam of his career, at the US Open, overwhelming Taylor Fritz in the final and extending his lead in the rankings over both Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev. Sinner, in the meantime, arrived in Turin and began testing the conditions of the courts in view of the important commitment at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.

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