Written by Richard Pagliaro | @Itenisi_Manje | Wednesday, August 28, 2024
Photo credit: Matthew Stockman/Getty
NEW YORK-Jannik Sinner he carries more than the average Gucci bag with him on court these days.
World No. 1 Sinner applauded the crowd’s excitement as he entered Arthur Ashe Stadium in his opening match at the US Open.
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How would New York’s vociferous fans respond to Sinner in his first game since the ITIA announced he had tested positive twice for the banned steroid clostebol last March? The offender was not arrested because the court found that he was “innocent” of the trace amounts of clostebol in his system.
The fans were hopeful and supportive as Sinner made a slow comeback to stop American Mackenzie McDonald 2-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 at Ashe Stadium.
Afterwards, Sinner said the response was amazing.
“I want to see how the fans react, but it’s been great,” Sinner told the media. “I’m very happy with how the support has been, I’m playing with an American, no, it’s a bit different.
“So I’m happy with the way I handled that situation, it wasn’t easy. So I think a lot of good things from today, so let’s continue to see what comes in the next round.”
Criticism has come from players ranging from Nick Kyrgios to Denis Shapovalov.
Asked how he reacts to Sinner’s case, Daniil Medvedev, who lost five sets to Italy in the final of the Australian Open last January, said, “I think what he did was illegal. The rules are just not clear.”
“I think my vision is small – I think I saw Taylor [Fritz]and I really like what he said. He said, “Look, only he knows what really happened, so we won’t know,” said Medvedev. “No one knows the true truth except him, his team, maybe guys like the independent court.
“I hope this situation is the same for every player, as every player can defend himself, because I think what he did was illegal. The rules are just not clear, and so on.”
The Cincinnati champion said there was a reaction from his peers and in the locker room. Soni said he accepts that his case—and its ruling—will bring a significant response from other players.
“Yes, there is some reaction. You know, I can’t control what they think and what they say,” said Sinner. “You know how everything went like that, I’m talking now, no?”
“I can’t control the reaction of the players, and if I want to say something to someone, I go there secretly, because I am such a person. But, look, overall, it wasn’t bad. So I’m happy about that.”
Olympic gold medalist Novak Djokovic said Sinner’s case—and the response to how it was handled—should be an educational tool for the game’s governing bodies to standardize the process.
Djokovic said Sinner’s case highlights the fact “there has to be change and I think that’s obvious” while raising the question: Can superstars afford a different level of “justice” when it comes to drug cases?
“We hope that the bodies that control our games will be able to learn from this case and have a better way for the future. “I think collectively there should be a change, and I think that’s obvious,” said Djokovic. “A lot of players – without naming any of them – I’m sure you know who these players are, they have had the same or similar situations, where they didn’t have the same result, now the question is that it’s a financial issue, even if the player can pay a large amount of money to a law firm that may represent the case build in an efficient way.
“I don’t know. Is it true or not? That is something that I feel we should investigate more together, look at the system and understand how these cases do not happen, which means not the case itself, but how we can balance everything so that every player, regardless of his level or situation or profile, is able to receive the same type of treatment. ”
