Jannik Sinner’s former physio breaks silence after being forced out in doping saga… and sheds light on ‘bad messages on social media’ following Italian tennis star’s positive test

Jannik Sinner’s former physiotherapist has spoken out about his role in the doping saga in which the Italian tennis star was provisionally suspended from the sport.

The US Open champion first tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid clostebol at Indian Wells on March 10, and again eight days later.

On both occasions, the world number one successfully appealed and was allowed to continue playing while the evidence was assessed.

Sinner, 23, subsequently managed to convince an independent tribunal that the two positive tests, which found an extremely small amount of the substance in his system – less than a billionth of a gram – had been a result of contamination.

The Italian is still at risk of being banned from tennis after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) decided to appeal the decision last month.

Sinner, pictured at the China Open, first tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid clostebol at Indian Wells on March 10

The 23-year-old Sinner also won the US Open in New York this year after beating Taylor Fritz in the final

Sinner parted ways with physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi and fitness coach Umberto Ferrara during the case ahead of the US Open.

Naldi broke his silence on the situation in an interview with the Italian newspaper La Stampa.

He said: ‘I’m sorry like everyone else, but I can’t say anything else because unfortunately it’s not over yet.

‘I hope sooner or later to be able to tell what happened, so that I can paint a general picture. Because from the way this affair has been interpreted by the general public, it seems like it was just my fault.

‘But that is not the case, as anyone who has read the ruling knows. I realize that not everyone has made this effort.’

Naldi recently became a father to a daughter named Letizia and decided to make his Instagram account private after receiving a slew of offensive comments.

“Jannik was very kind: when Letizia was born, he wrote to me,” he said.

‘Just like the whole team. I have a cordial relationship with Jannik. In general, I have received expressions of affection, especially from those who know me personally.

‘However, I have read bad messages on social media and am offended. Because what happened in the telling of this story happened a little badly.”

The explanation Sinner gave for the positive test was that fitness coach Umberto Ferrara (left) purchased an over-the-counter spray containing clostebol before traveling to Indian Wells.

The Italian, who won the Shanghai Masters this week, is still at risk of being banned from tennis after WADA appealed the decision

The tennis star may only discover his fate next year after an appeal

The explanation Sinner gave for the positive test was that fitness coach Umberto Ferrara purchased an over-the-counter spray containing clostebol in Italy a month before traveling to Indian Wells.

During the Indian Wells event, Naldi cut his finger and was advised by Ferrara to use the spray to treat the wound.

According to a statement from the Sinner team: ‘The physiotherapist treated Jannik and his lack of care combined with several open wounds on Jannik’s body caused the contamination.’

The tribunal heard that Sinner suffers from a skin condition psoriasiform dermatitis, which can cause irritation and, if scratched, cuts and sores. This was accepted as the reason why the clostebol entered his body through the physiotherapist’s finger.

On September 26, the World Anti-Doping Agency appealed the ruling finding ‘no fault or negligence’ on Sinner’s behalf. WADA states that the ruling is not in line with the applicable rules.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency has recognized WADA’s right to refer the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), but the ruling may not be announced until next year.