Jannik Sinner’s dramatic U-turn has now stirred a fair bit of controversy in the tennis world. Just weeks after winning his fourth Grand Slam title by defeating Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the 2025 Wimbledon, Sinner rehired Umberto Ferrara to his coaching team. Who is Ferrera, and why is there so much buzz in the tennis world surrounding his inclusion in the team? Last year, Sinner fired both Giacomo Naldi and Umberto Ferrera, two fitness coaches who played a role in the Clostebol contamination. Following their departure from the team, Sinner hired Marco Panichi and Ulises Badio. However, just before Wimbledon, he parted ways with these two as well.
As things stand, Sinner has now decided to bring back a familiar face to the team after sacking him in August 2024, but what about Naldi? Well, there seems to be no possibility of his return as of now. In a recent statement, Jannik Sinner’s team confirmed, “Umberto has played an important role in Jannik’s development to date, and his return reflects a renewed focus on continuity and performance at the highest level. The decision has been made in alignment with Jannik’s management team as part of ongoing preparations for upcoming tournaments, including the Cincinnati Open and US Open.”
Although just before the 2024 US Open, Jannik Sinner claimed that he’s not feeling confident to continue with both Ferrera and Naldi, as per the latest BBC reports, Sinner said that he feels Umberto Ferrera has learned from his mistakes. Perhaps this could be one of the main reasons behind his comeback to the team. But what does Giacomo Naldi have to say on this? In a recent interview with Repubblica, Naldi said, “Here we go again. Now the nightmare begins again, like last summer. I have no intention of commenting. It’s a story that has made me too sad; it has damaged my image.”
He further went on to add, “When the time is right, we’ll talk about everything calmly. I don’t want to ruin this holiday, too. Right now, I just want to be left alone. I prefer not to comment. Maybe one day I will, but right now it hurts too much.” How did this controversial incident, which led to Jannik Sinner’s three-month doping ban, take place, though? Well, if we go back a little, on 12 February 2024, Umberto Ferrera bought a spray (Trofodermin) which is used to treat cuts. Then on 3 March 2024, Naldi cuts his finger while reaching into his treatment bag, and two days after that, Ferrera suggests Naldi use Trofodermin to treat his wound.
Over the next 7-8 days, Giacomo Naldi used it every morning before giving a massage to Jannik Sinner without gloves for almost one and a half hours. On 10 March 2024, he treated Sinner’s ankle and claimed that he couldn’t remember if he washed his hands before his treatment. Then on the same day, Sinner provided two urine samples after his third-round match at Indian Wells, and both tested positive for Clostebol. The same thing happened when he provided yet another urine sample ahead of the Miami Open. On 4 April 2024, he was notified of the positive tests.
Giacomo Naldi sul ritorno di Umberto Ferrara nel team di Jannik Sinner
“Ecco, ci risiamo. Ora ricomincia l’incubo, come nell’estate scorsa. Non ho alcuna intenzione di commentare, è una storia che mi ha amareggiato troppo, ha danneggiato la mia immagine.
Quando sarà il… pic.twitter.com/bfKVwb8Cy7
— Giovanni Pelazzo (@giovannipelazzo) July 24, 2025
Sinner was initially cleared of deliberate wrongdoing by an individual tribunal at the first-instance hearing in August. The tribunal ruled that Jannik Sinner bore “no fault or negligence” for the positive results and wouldn’t receive a ban, but WADA later appealed to the CAS, and a hearing was set for April for both parties (Sinner and WADA). However, before that, in February, they entered a case resolution agreement, which led to his three-month ban.
Umberto Ferrera, who has been working with Jannik Sinner since 2022, gave an interview to Gazetta dello Sport. During that interview, he mentioned that he had clearly communicated to Naldi both the nature of the product and the fact that it must not come in contact with Sinner for any reason. Although Naldi didn’t deny being told about it, he said that he didn’t remember.
How did the tennis world react to this inclusion in Jannik Sinner’s team, though? Well, several tennis bigwigs have already started to raise their eyebrows after hearing this news.
Nick Kyrgios takes a jibe at Jannik Sinner after the inclusion of Umberto Ferrera in his team
As per several reports, Umberto Ferrera will be working with Jannik Sinner in Monte-Carlo immediately, as he ramps up preparations for the Cincinnati Open next month. Although Giacomo Naldi hasn’t returned to the Tour since that incident, Ferrera has been working alongside Matteo Berrettini since November 2024. They had worked together for almost seven months before their eventual split in June 2025.
In April this year, Ferrera gave an interview to La Gazetta dello Sport, and during that interview, he was seen heaping praise on Jannik Sinner’s “extraordinary maturity” in dealing with the situation. He hailed Sinner’s incredible work ethic and spoke about how saddened he was to see their relationship end in this manner. So, his inclusion in the team could possibly be good news for Ferrera, but for others?
Well, Nick Kyrgios didn’t look too pleased with this news. He tweeted, “He got the same doc back. We have been played, ladies and gentlemen.” Other than Kyrgios, even tennis legend, Paul McNamee, shared his thoughts on this controversial inclusion by asking, “You can afford to hire anyone in the world. Why, oh, why, Jannik?” He claimed it to be one of the most astonishing PR moves in tennis history. What are your thoughts on this, though?
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