Sinner thrilled with US Open title considering “pre-tournament circumstances weren’t easy”
The Italian confessed that the two failed drug tests earlier this year are still on his mind
Antoine Couvercelle / Panoramic
World No 1 Jannik Sinner triumphed over America’s Taylor Fritz in straight sets on Sunday afternoon in New York, winning the US Open to claim his second Grand Slam title.
But the win is far more significant for the Italian than just adding another notch to his belt.
Sinner entered the US Open with a cloud over his head, as the week beforehand it had been revealed that he failed two drug tests earlier in the year. He was cleared of any wrongdoing, but naturally, there was plenty of attention targeted at the 23-year-old about the circumstances surrounding his failed tests, including why he was seemingly treated as an exception and not handed a lengthy provisional suspension as in other cases.
So when Sinner defied the expectations of many and lifted the US Open trophy this weekend, the achievement was magnified.
“Amazing feeling,” Sinner declared in the wake of his victory in New York. “We are all very proud of this achievement. I’m just excited to have this trophy with me.
“Here was difficult because also the pre-tournament circumstances weren’t easy. I’m happy how I handled this one.”
Sinner reveals doping scandal still on his mind
While Sinner is now looking forward to some time off before heading to Beijing for the China Open, the US Open champion revealed that this year’s events are still something he is dealing with.
“It was and it’s still a little bit in my mind,” Sinner explained, referring to the failed drug tests earlier this year and the resulting scandal.
However, the world No 1 is pleased with the way he’s been able to process the circumstances and departmentalise to still get results on court.
“It’s not that it’s gone, but when I’m on court, I try to focus about the game, I try to handle the situation the best possible way, communication with the team, in practice courts. You know, at the end of the day we always try to improve as a player. That’s why we practice for.
“So yeah, it was not easy, that’s for sure, but in the other way I tried to stay focused, which I guess I’ve done a great job mentally staying there every point I play, and that’s it.”
While for most who follow tennis, the saga has been a recent revelation, Sinner detailed how it has taken a toll on him and his team for months.
“It’s difficult to describe everything, because me and my team and the people who are close to me, they know what I’ve been through in the last months,” Sinner said. “It was not only one week before the tournament. It was months.
“Obviously it was very difficult for me to enjoy in certain moments. Also how I behaved or how I walked on the court in certain tournaments before, it was not the same as I used to be, so whoever knows me better, they know that something was wrong,” he continued.
“But during this tournament, slowly I restarted to feel a little bit more how I am as a person. Doesn’t really matter how or what the result was. So this tournament, for sure, helped me a little bit.”
With the US Open title, Sinner extended his lead at the top of the ATP rankings, now sitting more than 4,000 points clear of No 2 ranked Alexander Zverev.
