No remorse, no intention of replying to Kyrgios, but Sinner troubled by possible suspension

For the first time in her career, Jannik Sinner will have to defend a Grand Slam title. But that’s not the toughest challenge facing the Italian world No 1 just two days before the start of the Australian O

Sinner, who tested positive twice for the use of Clostebol in March 2024 – a result that was kept quiet by tennis authorities until the ruling by the International Tennis Integrity Agency in August, faces a possible suspension from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which is appealing the case.

“I know exactly as much as you guys know,” he said, referring to the timeframe of the result. “We are in a stage where we don’t know many, many things. “Yeah, you think about this, of course. I would lie if I would tell you I forget. No, it’s not like this. It’s something what I have with me now already for quite a long time.

“But it is what it is. I’m here trying to prepare the Grand Slam. Let’s see how it goes.”

“I don’t think I have to answer this”

While Nick Kyrgios is fanning the flames of doubt surrounding his case with regular tweets, Sinner said he ‘didn’t have to respond’ to the Australian’s comments.

“How do I block it? It’s not that you just put it in a part and you just say I don’t think any more about this. In my mind I know exactly what happened, and that’s how I block it, no?

“I haven’t done anything wrong. That’s why I’m still here. That’s why I’m still playing. I don’t want to respond on what Nick said or what other players says. I think the most important part is to have my people around me who I can trust, people they exactly know what happened. That’s it.”

“I was always very careful about this stuff”

Sinner added that the affair had not changed the way he dealt with the risk of testing positive. “Before I was very, very careful on every single medicine I take, even what I eat, he said. “When the bottle is open, I throw it away, I take a new one. I was always very, very careful about this stuff. No, haven’t changed.”

The Italian did, however, dismiss his physio Giacomo Naldi and his co-trainer Umberto Ferrara from his staff after his positive tests, directly pointing the finger of blame at them.

Sinner pleaded accidental contamination through massage by his physio, who had treated a cut with a drug containing Clostebol, a substance used to build muscle mass.

Sinner will begin his title defence against Chile’s Nicolas Jarry.