Jannik Sinner cheered by fans at US Open practice after avoiding doping ban

All eyes were on Jannik Sinner at the US Open on Thursday. He made his first appearance on the practice courts in New York since it was announced that he had avoided a doping suspension by successfully arguing that two positive doping tests were the result of contamination.

On Tuesday, Sinner and the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced that the player had twice tested positive for traces of the banned substance clostebol in anti-doping test samples taken in March. An independent court subsequently ruled that Sinner was not responsible or negligent for the failed tests.

The announcements came a day after Sinner won his second Masters 1000 title at the Cincinnati Open, beating Frances Tiafoe in straight sets. After flying to New York and not showing up at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center on Tuesday or Wednesday, Sinner trained with Grigor Dimitrov in an afternoon session on Thursday.

Sinner, who followed fellow world No. 1 Iga Swiatek on practice court 1, arrived to loud cheers from fans in the packed stands and the 23-year-old was also warmly greeted by Dimitrov. Sinner was flanked by his coaches Simone Vagnozzi, who oversaw the session, and Darren Cahill, who regularly gave his charge advice.

While Sinner had previously been accompanied by his fitness trainer Umberto Ferrara and physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi, they remained absent on Thursday. During the independent tribunal, Sinner’s team said Ferrara had purchased Trofodermin, an over-the-counter spray, and that Naldi had used the spray to treat a cut on his finger. During his regular massage treatments, they argued, Naldi had infected Sinner. On Tuesday, Cahill said they were still deciding what Sinner’s team would look like going forward.

“Right now it’s just Simone and I, the two coaches that are here,” Cahill said. “And we’re supporting Jannik right now. [The decision] is only 24 hours old. So we’ll just keep going and see what happens.”

While Sinner and Dimitrov trained together, with players such as Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev and Ben Shelton on nearby courts, the draws for the tournament’s singles were announced at 12:00.

Sinner, the top favorite, will face favorite Mackenzie McDonald in the first round in a crowded opening half. Sinner could face Medvedev, the fifth seed and 2021 champion, in the quarterfinals. Alcaraz, the third seed and 2022 champion, has been drawn in Sinner’s half and the two could meet in the semifinals.

Fresh off a career-defining Olympic gold medal, Novak Djokovic will begin his quest for a 25th Grand Slam title against a qualifier. Djokovic could face 28th seed Alexei Popyrin, the shock Montreal Masters 1000 champion earlier this month, but the 37-year-old has been handed a useful draw as he returns to hard courts for the first time since March.

Unlike other tournaments where the draw is live, the US Open organizers have adopted an unpopular format, namely the reveal draw, where the tournament holds the draw behind closed doors and releases it at a specific time.

There were plenty of notable showdowns to be revealed in the women’s draw, one of which will see Emma Raducanu make her return to New York against 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin. Raducanu is chasing her first US Open victory since her shock 2021 triumph, having lost to Alizé Cornet in the first round of her 2022 title defence and then missing the 2023 edition after undergoing surgery.

Raducanu has been in good form when she does compete, following up her fourth-round Wimbledon appearance with a quarterfinal at the Washington WTA 500 tournament. However, she has not played since the first week of the hardcourt swing, opting not to play qualifying rounds at the bigger tournaments.

Among the other British players, 31st-seeded Katie Boulter will face a first-round qualifier and Harriet Dart will open her tournament against French wildcard Chloe Paquet. Jack Draper, seeded 25th, has a tough first-round match against Zhizhen Zhang of China. A potential third-round match against Alcaraz looms if both players fulfil their seeds. Dan Evans, meanwhile, has been drawn against 23rd-seeded Karen Khachanov.

Elsewhere, Naomi Osaka will celebrate her return to the US Open against 10th seed and former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko. Seventh seed Zheng Qinwen, fresh from her Olympic gold medal, faces a tough first-round clash with wildcard Amanda Anisimova. Both top seed Swiatek and second seed Aryna Sabalenka face first-round qualifiers.