Jannik Sinner reappoints fitness coach sacked amid Clostebol doping saga

In some intriguing news this morning, Jannik Sinner has reappointed Umberto Ferrara, the fitness coach who he sacked in summer 2024 after it was revealed that the World No.1 had tested positive for the banned substance Clostebol.

Since he tested positive, Sinner has always maintained his innocence with a dark cloud hanging over his Wimbledon win in the view of some as both Sinner and Swiatek who tested positive for banned substances won the titles.

He quickly dismissed Ferrara and his physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi. He appointed Marco Panichi who has worked with Novak Djokovic but he has left the team now and after he has joined Holger Rune, Sinner has moved to reappoint Ferrara in what is a bit of a fitness coaching merry go round.

While he laid the blame on his team and sacked him in the first place, he still described him as an 'excellent coach' at the ATP Finals. Darren Cahill was also due to retire at the end of the year but looks to be staying on longer to continue the Cahill-Vagnozzi dream team.

A big focal point of that is in fact Ferrara and he will return now as Sinner approaches Cincinnati. He will not play in Canada next week with the World No.1 deciding to take a week off. The same can be said for Djokovic, Draper and Alcaraz leaving a pretty empty line-up for the return to Toronto.

But in Cincinnati, he will be flanked by his returning fitness coach. "Jannik Sinner has reappointed Umberto Ferrara as his fitness coach with immediate effect," his new management team Avima announced in a brief statement.

"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.

"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."

He protested his innocence at the time. "I very clearly communicated to Naldi both the nature of the product, and the fact that it must not come into contact with Jannik for any reason," he said to Gazzetta dello Sport.

He put the blame on Naldi in particular. He said also that he "suffered serious damage to his personal and professional reputation. Everyone has read articles or commentaries that report the facts in a way that is inconsistent with the ruling." He worked momentarily for a few months with Sinner's compatriot Matteo Berrettini.