NEW YORK: Newly crowned US Open champion Jannik Sinner admitted on Sunday that the controversy surrounding his two failed drug tests “was and still is on my mind”. The 23-year-old Italian defeated Taylor Fritz in straight sets to claim his second Grand Slam title, adding to his first in Australia in January. But his path to victory was accompanied by questions surrounding the affair, due to which he twice tested positive for the banned substance clostebol in March. He escaped a lengthy ban when the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) found him not guilty of wrongdoing after he was inadvertently contaminated by his physiotherapist. The Italian sacked physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi and coach Umberto Ferraro, citing a loss of confidence in them. The decision to clear the Italian was met with skepticism from some players in the dressing room, who suggested that Sinner had benefited from preferential treatment due to his status in the sport. “It was and still is in my head. Not that it has gone away, but when I’m on the court, I try to focus on the game, I try to handle the situation as best as possible, communicate with the team, practice judgments,” said the world number one. “It wasn’t easy, that’s for sure, but I tried to stay focused, which I think I did. Sinner admitted the case has cast a cloud over him, but believes the fans and most players have backed him. “Obviously it was very difficult for me to enjoy it at certain moments,” he added. “Also, the way I acted or walked on the courts before in certain tournaments was not the same, so anyone who knows me better knows that something was not right. “But during this tournament I slowly rebooted to feel a little bit more about who I am as a person. It doesn’t matter how or what the result was. So this tournament definitely helped me a little bit.” Despite the controversy, Sinner is enjoying a stellar season. He won six titles and collected 55 wins against just five losses. His triumph on Sunday made him 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 victory in New York has more impact for him than the breakthrough at the Australian Open. “Melbourne was a bit of a relief because you never know if you can win one grand slam or not, but when you win one you know you can,” he said. “It was difficult here because the circumstances before the tournament were not easy either. I felt that I was growing match by match and that my confidence was going higher and higher at a certain point. “It was different because I had more pressure this time than in Australia. I’m happy how I did. Yeah, I’m just excited to have this trophy with me.”
