Italian Jannik Sinner is preparing for his US Open quarter-final match against Russian Daniil Medvedev. Both players are very good on hard courts. Many experts and fans are calling this match a hidden final, and it is not for nothing that this match is a secret final.
Yannick and Daniil could have met in the title decider if the draw had assigned them to different halves of the draw. But this did not happen, and now someone will drop out of the race at a fairly early stage. It is quite possible that the winner of this match will lift the cup in New York at the end of the week.
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“The hidden ending and the path to victory.” Medvedev and Sinner will have their first battle at the US Open
Sinner is facing additional pressure at the US Open due to a doping scandal. Before the start of the tournament, it became known that the banned substance clostebol was detected twice in Yannick’s body in March. However, the Italian was not disqualified. He continued to participate in major tournaments and gained ranking points, and in early June he became world number one. Not all tennis players liked it.
The current leaders of the ATP rankings Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev spoke rather reservedly about Sinner’s doping case. Less famous players reacted much harsher. For example, Luca Pouille, Denis Shapovalov, Nick Kyrgios, Tallon Grixpor.
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‘He broke the rules’ Medvedev breaks his silence on Sinner doping scandal
It is noteworthy that many well-known tennis legends did not comment on the scandal for a long time, but just over a day before the Sinner-Medvedev match, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer suddenly made statements, and a little earlier – Andre Agassi. And all of them were exculpatory for Yannick.
The media were the first to spread the words of 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal.
“I don’t know if this is an advantage or a disadvantage, but I believe in the integrity of people. I know Sinner and I think he didn’t want to take drugs. Justice is justice, we must accept his decision, whether we like it or not. I have faith in the bodies that make decisions and they do so based on what they believe is right. I think the lack of punishment is a sign that what happened was not his fault. I don’t think he was declared innocent simply because he is number one in the world. Everyone has the right to have their own opinion, this is mine,” Nadal said on the El Hormiguero programme.
Rafael Nadal and Jannik Sinner
Photo: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
A little later, a comment from 20-time TBS champion Roger Federer appeared.
“We wouldn’t like to see this kind of news in our sport, regardless of whether he or any other player did something. It’s just noise that you don’t want to hear. I understand that the situation is difficult. For any athlete and team to have such problems and accusations is a nightmare. We fill out these forms every day, they are always with you. Every day when you wake up you think: “Did someone behind the door come to check on me?” So it’s very difficult.
“I understand the frustrated questions about whether he was treated the same as everyone else or not. It all comes down to this. I think we are all sure that Yannick did nothing. But the inconsistency is that he was not suspended until he was 100% sure what was going on, a question that still requires an answer. But it is what it is and we need to trust the process and its participants,” Federer said in an interview with famed American TV host Savannah Guthrie while participating in NBC News’ Today show.
Nadal has not yet retired, while Federer retired from tennis a couple of years ago. But Rafa and Roger have in common the fact that they are not very media personalities lately. Both appear on television a few times a year, usually at the same time. Yes, in their interviews they not only talked about the doping scandal related to Sinner, but the question about Yannick seemed like a “must-see program”.
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer
Photo: Julian Finney/Getty Images
Shortly before Nadal and Federer, another legendary tennis player appeared on television: eight-time TBS champion Andre Agassi. Initially, the American also did not comment on Sinner’s case in the prosecution, but did so on Fox News after the start of the US Open.
“Sinner was found to have less than a billionth of a gram of clostebol, an amount like that is not capable of affecting anything. I don’t think Yannick took risks and knowingly doped. I think this is impossible. No one in their right mind would do this on purpose. You wouldn’t intentionally put a billionth of a gram of something in your body if it was going to be difficult for you to improve your performance on court. I urge those who are concerned about the process to look at the doping system and not at Sinner. He was given the opportunity to continue playing despite the open case. The same should be done with all other tennis players.
“Some players missed three tests and were immediately suspended. I think this is wrong. Regarding the lack of details about Sinner’s case for six months, the right to silence is always present in any due process unless the player voluntarily decides to speak out. And his ability to play while the appeal is pending is not a rule, but a law. I don’t like it when news about doping comes out. I don’t like anyone going through this. I’m sure Yannick had a terrible time. I hope his case becomes an example to solve the problem if there is a problem. The sooner we put this behind us, the better. This guy is playing very well and I don’t think he is cheating,” Agassi said.
Andre Agassi
Photo: Noam Galai/Getty Images
It is worth noting that Agassi was also involved in a doping scandal at one point. What they also have in common with Sinner is the fact that they collaborate with coach Darren Cahill. True, Andre used substances that do not increase productivity, but rather the opposite. In 1997, the American went on a spree due to a quarrel with his then lover Brooke Shields. For the first time in 11 years, he did not win a single ATP title and fell to 141st place in the world rankings. And at the end of the season, crystal methamphetamine was found in his doping test.
Andre was threatened with a three-month disqualification, but tennis officials actually “hushed up” the matter. They accepted Agassi’s theory that he had unwittingly consumed the illegal substance by accidentally drinking it from his assistant’s soda glass. Although, after finishing his career, Andre admitted in his biography “Frankly” that he got himself into serious trouble quite knowingly and, consequently, deserved to be disqualified.
Sinner’s situation is not similar to Agassi’s, as we are talking about a performance-enhancing substance. And in general, Yannick’s case is unique in many respects, as he avoided any long-term disqualification (except for a few days in April during the out-of-competition period) or serious punishment (point deduction and deprivation of prize money for the Masters). The Indian Wells tournament definitely does not fall into this category).
John McEnroe
Photo: Julian Finney/Getty Images
The lack of a unified approach was discussed by seven-time TBS champion John McEnroe, who in the immediate aftermath of the scandal was, in fact, the only tennis legend who did not make obvious concessions to Sinner.
“I understand that tennis is tested for doping more often than any other sport. The news just came out and it is shocking now. Especially since this happened in March, it has been six months since then and this is the first time we have heard about this. I don’t know how they share that some players say it was unintentional and are disqualified, while others are not. Simona Halep said she had no knowledge of doping and was suspended for 18 months. Sinner said the same thing, but he was not suspended. From the players’ point of view, it is obvious that they want the same solutions. This guy is the world number one. This is very unexpected news for us,” McEnroe said.
In any case, Sinner continues to resort to the courts. Fans boo him, some players criticise him, but this has not yet bothered Yannick. At least until the quarter-final match against Medvedev at the US Open, which in every respect will be a real test of strength for the Italian.
