Petkovic explains potential reason behind Sinner, his coaches not getting nominated for 2024 ATP Awards

Not seeing Jannik Sinner and his coaches — Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi — among the 2024 ATP Award nominees in any of the categories has been a shocker to many despite the Italian’s glorious run during the season. However, former world No 9 Andrea Petkovic has an explanation.

Sinner ended the season with a win-loss record of 73-6, having clinched silverware at eight different tournaments, including the Australian Open and US Open, without notably throwing arresting tantrums on the court. His contribution to Italy’s Davis Cup triumph in November was the cherry on the top.

Still, the Italian isn’t in contention for the ATP’s Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award. Moreover, Cahill and Vagnozzi, the men behind his success, have not made the ‘Coach of the Year’ nominations.

German ex-player Petkovic believes being under the scanner of Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) amid the World Anti-Doping Agency’s appeal against the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s ruling in the Indian Wells doping case has hurt Sinner and his staff’s chances.

“It’s because if he [Sinner] gets banned, they don’t want him to be on the list,” Petkovic said while talking on The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast recently.

“Also because we haven’t had that final say from WADA,” host Rennae Stubbs added.

“They want to protect themselves from a PR disaster”

As per Petkovic, the ATP doesn’t want to invite any unnecessary controversy over Sinner’s doping scandal in case CAS rules against the Italian.

“I think they’re basically, I don’t know if protecting is the right word, but let’s say just protecting themselves from a situation that he has the Sportsmanship award and Darren has the Coach of the Year award and then he gets banned for a couple of months,” Petkovic said.

Stubbs protested the apparent reason, saying:

“Listen, if you’re gonna let him play and you’re gonna allow Darren to coach, then why are you leaving them off that list? That’s ridiculous. I mean I can see it in a weird way but not really.”

Petkovic, however, repeated:

“I think it’s just self-protection. They don’t want to have to explain anything… They want to just protect themselves from a PR disaster that the guy that has Sportsmanship award gets banned for doping.”

You might also like this

Sinner drugs case: CAS commences proceedings in WADA appeal

tennis majors

Doping saga reveals fake friendships to Sinner: “I thought these are friends, instead they are not”

tennis majors

“Seems that it was only my fault” – Sinner’s ex-physio on doping scandal

tennis majors

Alcaraz, Thiem, Dimitrov, Ruud nominated for ATP Sportsmanship award

tennis majors