 "Jannik Sinner's US Open victory caps a stellar Grand Slam season, but shadows of doping doubts persist")
Jannik Sinner arrived in New York at the centre of a doping controversy after it was revealed he had failed two drug tests but escaped sanctions when officials decided he wasn’t directly at fault for the presence of a banned anabolic agent (clostebol).
Sinner, at the time, had argued that the drug entered his system when his physiotherapist used a spray containing it to treat a cut, then provided him with massage and sports therapy.
The Italian fired physio Giacomo Naldi and trainer Umberto Ferrara — who supplied Naldi with the spray — citing a loss of confidence in them.
The revelations came shortly before play began at Flushing Meadows on 26 August and the lingering effects of the controversy and incessant questioning seemed to take a toll as he dropped the opening set of the first round against Mackenzie McDonald.
That proved to be a blip rather than part of a pattern at a tournament that witnessed the second and third seeds Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz respectively bow out in the first week.
Since then, everything has gone according to plan on the court. He dropped one more set, against Daniil Medvedev, on the way to the title on Sunday.
In the final, versus Taylor Fritz, it was smooth sailing . He broke early to ease any potential nerves of playing his first US Open final, against an American opponent, with thousands - including musicians Taylor Swift, Jon Bon Jovi, actors Matthew McConaughey, Courtney Cox, NFL star Travis Kelce - in attendance.
Just when it looked like it court turn into a contest in the second set, Sinner broke at 5-4 to ensure it was a rout instead. Sinner landed a dreadful 51% of his first serves and yet it was good enough for him to not drop a point in the second and third sets.
When returning serve, Sinner occupied the back of the court, similar to Medvedev, and punched from the baseline with serious heat to not allow Fritz any chances.
The fans, who had been kept from exploding for an hour-and-a-half, finally got a chance to celebrate when Fritz overcame a break point and held serve with a 100mph forehand. The stir only became bigger in the next game as Fritz broke serve to take a 4-2 lead thanks to a perfect lob and another booming winner.
With a fourth set looming, Sinner went back to the basics and his tried-and-tested weapon: the forehand. The Italian pounced on the big serves and capitalised on short-ish balls as the points progressed.
The 23-year-old broke, held serve and broke again to cap off a stupendous year where, like Aryna Sabalenka , he clinched the hardcourt major double of Australian and US Open titles. Not since 1998 had the same man and woman won the titles in Melbourne and New York.
“You work so hard for these kinds of trophies. I’m so happy I can take this one with me, because I lost some tough ones here,” said Sinner, who was beaten by Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev in five-setters at the last two US Opens.
The ending, with a trophy, is far opposite of the beginning. And Sinner admitted the cloud of uncertainty remains .
“It’s still a little bit in my mind,” he said of what he called as the “pre-tournament circumstances.”
“The general reaction of the players was quite positive, even when things came out,” he said. “Then there have been, of course, some different voices, but this is in everything. This is not only in tennis…You can’t really do anything about that. That’s why you have the people close to you.”
“But during this tournament, slowly I restarted to feel a little bit more how I am as a person.”
“It’s not that it’s gone, but when I’m on court, I try to focus (on) the game, I try to handle the situation the best possible way. … It was not easy, that’s for sure, but … I tried to stay focused, which I guess I’ve done a great job, mentally staying there every point I play."
3 - In the past five decades, Jannik Sinner is the third player to win the title at the US Open Men’s Singles after dropping his opening set at the event after John McEnroe (1981) and Patrick Rafter (1998). Machine. #USOpen | @usopen @atptour @ATPMediaInfo pic.twitter.com/RXxzLn1s8u
— OptaAce (@OptaAce) September 8, 2024
The Italian is not free of the controversy just yet as WADA, sports’ global anti-doping body, reserves the right to appeal the decision made by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) to clear Sinner of wrongdoing.
Sinner insisted fans have treated him fairly in New York.
“I feel it has been great, also throughout when the news came out, in the practice sessions, there was a lot of support,” said Sinner.
“It’s still a little bit not easy. You have to go through day by day.”
And the “day-by-day” has seen Sinner clinch a sixth title of the year, improve to 55-5 win-loss in 2024 including 35-2 on hard courts. He’s the first man since Guillermo Vilas in 1977 to win his first two Grand Slam trophies in the same season.
Pan out from New York and men’s tennis paints a different picture than before. This was the first year since 2002 in which no member of the Big Three — Djokovic, Rafael Nadal or the retired Roger Federer — won at least one major. Instead, Sinner and Alcaraz, 21, split the four Slam titles. Djokovic did win the gold medal at the Paris Olympics.
“Nice to see new champions,” Sinner said. “Nice to see new rivalries.”
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