Despite clinching two Grand Slam titles in the last seven months, it has been the toughest phase of Jannik Sinner’s career! If we take a look at the timeline of his doping saga, Sinner previously escaped a ban when the ITIA ruled that he wasn’t at fault for the positive tests, but later on, WADA’s appeal to CAS led him to accept a suspension from February 9 to May 4. Talking about his sufferings in this phase, Sinner had previously admitted, “I was very fragile after what happened. I would tell a lie if I said I was a person without feelings or emotions.” He said it wasn’t easy, and it was extremely “hard” for him to cope with all these things. Now, just days before the end of his three-month ban, the world number one has yet again opened up about his emotional struggles after this incident. What did he say?
Jannik Sinner recently interviewed with the Italian broadcaster TG1, and during the interview, the first question that was thrown at him was: ‘How are you?’ In reply to this straightforward question, the Italian said, “I’m pretty good, last year was very stressful, but we still managed to get incredible results.” All he now wants is to get back to his rhythm and relish the adrenaline of being part of the competitions. Talking about the doping saga, there were times when we saw players like Stan Wawrinka and Nick Kyrgios publicly criticizing the ruling and tennis system for allegedly protecting Sinner. Even Novak Djokovic raised a few question marks, claiming the whole case was “not a good image for our sport.“
Did these statements of his peers have a negative impact on him? To this, the 23-year-old replied that everyone is free to judge and say what they feel like, but he admitted it was a very difficult phase in his life. Did Jannik Sinner ever feel like giving up amid all these struggles?
“Yes. I remember before the Australian Open this year, I was in a not-so-happy moment. In Australia I didn’t feel at ease in the locker room or at the restaurant, the players looked at me differently and I didn’t like it at all. There I thought that living tennis in that way was really hard: I’ve always been someone who took tennis jokingly, I thought about taking some time off after Australia.”
He further added, “Then it went the way it went, I didn’t want it to go that way but in the other sense at that moment it did me good. Three months is too much, but one reason why I didn’t play in Rotterdam was precisely that. I needed some different time, with friends, giving priority to the people who love me.“
Jannik Sinner says he thought about ‘stopping’ before the 2025 Australian Open:
“I remember before the Australian Open this year, I was at a not very happy place. In Australia, I didn’t really feel comfortable in the locker room or at the restaurants, the players looked at me… pic.twitter.com/oK0eQ4mPL0
— Olly Tennis (@Olly_Tennis_) April 29, 2025
After being out of action for quite some time, can Sinner find his winning momentum back on his home soil? Well, the Italian believes that the first few games will be “really difficult,” but he hopes to find his rhythm very soon. Time will tell whether fans will see him back on his winning track or not, but during this tough phase, he received quite a few strong backing from tennis superstars. Who were those individuals who stood beside Sinner in his tough times?
Rafael Nadal shows his support for Jannik Sinner
Jannik Sinner‘s doping saga has received mixed reactions from the tennis world. On one side, we have seen him getting heavily criticized, but on the other side, players like Jack Draper were heard saying, that Sinner doesn’t “deserve any hate.” Draper, who has been a long-time friend of the Italian, said, “When people ask about Jannik I tell the truth – I think he is a really genuine, nice person, and on top of that he is an unbelievable player.“
Not only Draper but also tennis legend Serena Williams opened up on this issue a few days ago. Although Williams was heard saying that she’d been banned for “20 years” and “gotten grand slams take away” if she did the same thing, the American didn’t forget to describe Sinner as a “fantastic personality” and “great” for the sport.
After seeing all these reactions surrounding the Italian’s doping saga, Rafael Nadal also opened up on this issue yet again on CNN, saying, “First of all, I 100% believe that Jannik is innocent. I don’t think at all that Jannik wanted to do something that is not allowed, so I 100% believe in Jannik. From my point of view, I really don’t believe that Jannik, because he’s the No. 1 in the world, received different treatment than another person, from my perspective and from my understanding.” Having said that, the 38-year-old also mentioned that he completely believes in the process.
Amid all these, on Monday, Jannik Sinner announced the launch of the Jannik Sinner Foundation, which aims to empower children through education and sports. Share your thoughts on Sinner’s comeback journey and this massive off-court move in the comment section.
The post “Looked at Me Differently”—Jannik Sinner Reveals the Cold Locker Room Moment That Nearly Broke Him appeared first on EssentiallySports.