Previously, when the news broke out that Jannik Sinner would serve a three-month ban from tennis after reaching an agreement with WADA, several tennis stars raised a few question marks. For example, Aussie star Nick Kyrgios stated, “fairness in tennis does not exist,” while others like Stan Wawrinka claimed that he no longer “believed in a clean sport.” Speaking about these days, Sinner once admitted it was extremely “hard” for him to cope with all these things. He was pretty much “fragile” during that time. Several of his peers raised a question mark on favorites, and even Novak Djokovic commented on this case, saying, “not a good image for our sport.” Now, since Sinner is all set to make a comeback to the Tour at the Italian Open after serving the three-month ban, what could the locker room be like when he walks into the hall? Well, here’s what American former tennis pros had to say on this…
During a recent interview with the Italian broadcaster TG1, Jannik Sinner highlighted the impact of the negative reactions that were thrown at him by his peers surrounding the doping saga. There were moments when he even felt like giving up amid all these struggles. “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.” Is there a chance of these moments haunting him when he returns to the Tour?
In the recent episode of the Nothing Major Show, the former ATP pros spoke about what the situation could be like in the locker room when Sinner comes back to Rome. According to Jack Sock, “In general, I don’t think it’s going to be an issue. I don’t think anyone’s going to obviously be weird towards him. I’m assuming some players will probably have their own thoughts and feelings inside but year it’s not going to some drama or big thing. I don’t think especially playing in his home country in front of his home fans.” Sock believes the Italian fans will welcome him with open arms and be overly excited to see him play yet again.
Interesting Fact: As per several reports, Jannik Sinner’s first practice session at the Italian Open was attended by nearly 5,000 fans.
In that same podcast, Steve Johnson said he’s more interested to see how the media are going to react to him during the press conference. According to Johnson, “I do feel like there’s going to some guys that are not fond of him based on some of other rulings that you know come out in tennis. You know the favorability, that some people feel that he got in that case. So, I’m interested to see but ultimately I think he’s going to be someone that doesn’t skip a beat.” He believes Sinner will be looking forward to clinching a title in Rome.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 23: Jannik Sinner of Italy speaks to the media during a press conference ahead of the 2024 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 23, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
In a recent press conference ahead of the Italian Open, Jannik Sinner spoke about the lack of support from the players. “Tennis is an individual sport, everyone has their own team. In Monte Carlo, I met Draper and Sonego, we had a great time. In the beginning, I had surprising messages from tennis players that I would not have expected to receive. And nothing from those who instead I expected to receive something. Names? I don’t want to name them. Everything will be fine, it will pass slowly.” What did Jack Draper on having Sinner back in the Tour, though?
British tennis star Jack Draper defends his friend Jannik Sinner
Amid facing a series of criticisms from several players on the Tour, there were few who stood beside Jannik Sinner in his tough times. One among them was Jack Draper. In an interview with the BBC, he said, “When people ask about him, or anyone, I’ll tell the truth… I think Jannik is a really, really genuine, nice person, and on top of that, he’s obviously an unbelievable player. In this situation, I’m sure that he would have absolutely zero idea of anything. That’s just the way life goes—sometimes there’s mistakes.” He added that he’s “looking forward to having him back on the tour” because he feels his presence has been missed. Even tennis legends like Rafael Nadal have also shown his support for Sinner recently.
In an interview with CNN, Nadal said, “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.” Serena Williams also shared a few kind words on Jannik Sinner, highlighting his “fantastic personality“.
But coming back to tennis, with the Italian Open knocking at the door, how optimistic is Sinner with his chances in his home tournament? “It’s a very, very low expectation tournament in general for me, it’s talking also results-wise.” All he now wants is to get proper feedback about his current level from this tournament and then slowly improve himself with time. This will be Sinner’s first appearance at this event since 2023, after having withdrawn from the Italian Open last year due to an injury. How far do you think the world number one can go in his home tournament?
The post “Not Fond of Him”- Locker Room Verdicts Roll In as Jannik Sinner Returns From Doping Ban appeared first on EssentiallySports.