Newly-crowned US Open champion Jannik Sinner admitted on Sunday that the controversy over his two failed drugs tests “was and is still on my mind”.
The 23-year-old Italian defeated Taylor Fritz in straight sets 6-3 6-4 7-5 to win his second Grand Slam title to add to his first in Australia in January.
Sinner held aloft his arms in celebration after breaking Fritz to clinch the title and cheers rang around Arthur Ashe Stadium, even though home fans had hoped to see Fritz end a 21-year US men’s Grand Slam drought.
Sinner’s path to victory was accompanied by questions over the affair which saw him twice test positive for banned substance clostebol in March.
He escaped a lengthy ban when the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) found he was not guilty of wrongdoing after he had been inadvertently contaminated by his physio.
The Italian sacked physio Giacomo Naldi and trainer Umberto Ferrara, citing a loss of confidence in them.
The decision to clear the Italian was met with scepticism by some players in the locker room who suggested that Sinner had benefited from preferential treatment due to his status in the sport.
Social media posts from former top-10 player Denis Shapovalov and Australian Nick Kyrgios have been particularly harsh, while a 19-month doping ban then exoneration of former doubles British No. 1 Tara Moore further fuelled the debate about a double standard.
“With my family and team and everyone who supports me daily, I always try to stick together with them especially when moments are getting difficult and tough,” Sinner said.
“It was and it’s still on my mind. It’s not that it’s gone, but when I’m on court, I try to focus about the game, I try to handle the situation the best possible way, communication with the team, in the practice courts.
“It was not easy, that’s for sure, but I tried to stay focused, with which I guess I’ve done a great job.”
Sinner admitted that the case had cast a cloud over him but he believes that fans and most players have been supportive.
“Obviously it was very difficult for me to enjoy in certain moments,” he added.
“Also how I behaved or how I walked on the court in certain tournaments before, it was not the same as I used to be, so whoever knows me better, they know that something was wrong.
“But during this tournament, slowly I restarted to feel a little bit more how I am as a person. Doesn’t really matter how or what the result was. So this tournament, for sure, helped me a little bit.”
Despite the controversy, Sinner is enjoying a stellar season.
His triumph on Sunday allowed him become the first man since Guillermo Vilas in 1977 to win his first two Grand Slam titles in the same season.
Sinner believes that Sunday’s win in New York has more impact for him than his Australian Open breakthrough.
“Melbourne was a kind of a relief because you never know if you can win one Grand Slam or not, but when you win one, you know that you can do it,” he said.
“Here it was difficult because also the pre-tournament circumstances weren’t easy. I felt like that I have grown match by match and that my confidence level went higher and higher at some point.
“It was different because I had more pressure this time than in Australia. I’m happy how I handled this one. Yeah, I’m just excited to have this trophy with me.”
The win capped a blockbuster year for Sinner, who came back from two sets down to triumph at Melbourne Park and won in Miami and Cincinnati.
The world number one leaves New York with an impressive 55-5 win-loss record for the year, leaving rivals in his wake as Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz crashed out early.