Serena Williams’ childhood coach Rick Macci thinks certain players throwing shade at Jannik Sinner over his doping case only made the Italian mentally tougher.
Truth be told, when the news about the 23-year-old’s doping case came out many didn’t think that he would be able to win the US Open and it was predicted that his performance and results would drop.
But since late August, no player has achieved more than the current world No. 1, who has since won the US Open, the Shanghai Masters, the ATP Finals, and the Davis Cup Finals with Italy.
Also, Sinner is now one win away from defending his Australian Open title.
While all of this has been happening for the 23-year-old, he has also been subjected to some heavy criticism from Nick Kyrgios but also some other players who questioned the handling of his doping case.
“Sinner should give a thumbs up to all the players who made him stronger mentally by chirping and throwing hot spicy flames regarding the doping scandal and making the Italian Flamethrower more bulletproof to handle,” Macci wrote on X.
Sinner should give a thumbs up to all the players who made him stronger mentally by chirping and throwing hot spicy flames regarding the Doping Scandal and making the Italian Flamethrower more bulletproof to Handle. @janniksin
— Rick Macci (@RickMacci) January 24, 2025
Sinner refused to respond to Kyrgios but made one thing clear
At the start of the Australian Open, the two-time Grand Slam winner directly told Australian reporters that he wasn’t interested in addressing Kyrgios’ criticism.
However, he did say that he felt fully innocent and that’s how he was able to block out all the chatter surrounding his doping case.
“In my mind I know exactly what happened, and that’s how I block it out. I haven’t done anything wrong. That’s why I’m still here. That’s why I’m still playing,” the world No. 1 said in his pre-tournament presser.
“I don’t want to respond to what Nick said or what other players say. I think the most important part is having people around me that I can trust, people that know exactly what happened. That’s all,”
On Sunday, Sinner will have a chance to collect back-to-back Australian Open titles when he meets Alexander Zverev in the final.
Tennis World USA