The most shocking news of these days was certainly the decision by WADA to appeal against the acquittal that ITIA had issued against Jannik Sinner. The worldnumber 1 will face a new long trial and has not hidden his disappointment for an unexpected and surprising choice.
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The two-time Grand Slam champion was recognized as innocent by ITIA after a five-month trial and the sentence was made known just before the start of the US Open, in which the Italian ace triumphed expressing a great tennis. The 23-year-old from San Candido was by far the best in the world this year and is very close to closing the season at the top of the ATP ranking, having a gap of over 4000 points on Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz. Jannik reached the semi-finals at the ATP 500 in Beijing and is determined to defend his title from last years China. Sinner has an impressive record of 58 wins and only 5 losses in 2024, he is the player who won the most matches this season and today got his 14th consecutive win.
A new trial
The last loss of the Italian champion was against Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals of the Masters 1000 in Montreal, before winning the Cincinnati Masters 1000 and especially the US Open. Sinners doping case has generated many discussions in the last month and a half, between those who attacked the Italian ace and those who defended him. Among the players who have been questioned on this topic is also Daniil Medvedev, who will face Alcaraz tomorrow for a place in the final in Beijing.
The Russian ace expressed his point of view on this topic: "To be honest, I havent talked about it much in the locker room, except with my Russian friends, because we talk more. My point of view on these things is always to try to distance himself from a situation that for him is certainly very difficult to deal with.
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As I always said, nobody wants to be in this situation. Imagine receiving an email, in which it is communicated that you have not passed the doping test, and do not know the reason, makes you ask: "Wow, what am I doing now? Because I have no idea how it happened in my pee, in my blood, or anything else. "Its a difficult situation. He will do what he has to do. WADA will probably do what it has to do. Lets see how it ends," said Medvedev, who finally added: "I too, like Carlos, am in solidarity with Jannik". The CAS has partially or fully accepted 90% of the most recent appeals made by WADA.
Sinner continues to win
The past few months have not been easy for the world number 1, who has spent several sleepless nights and had to deal with a huge stress together with his team. Jannik has not played his best tennis in Beijing until now, but he reached the semi-finals for the second year running making a difference at the decisive moments of each match.
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"I felt I had started the match very well, with good confidence. Then I had some very quick opportunities in the second set that I didn't take advantage of. He is a very tough player to face; he hits the ball very hard when he serves well. I tried to stay mentally there when I was 4-6 down in the tie-break. I am happy to have won in two sets and to be back in the semis here Sinner said after his win over Lehecka.
He also spoke about his doping case: "Firstly, it is not a situation I would like to be in; it is very delicate, difficult, and also different. All I know is I try to remind myself that I have done nothing wrong, which already puts me in an advantageous position. Of course, I have spent sleepless nights during this time, and now it won't be easy again.
I am disappointed to be back in this situation, but I am just trying to stay focused somehow on my work and try to do everything possible to be ready for every match I play. But yes, it is a tough time for me and also for my team. I am keeping those close to me who know me well and know me as a person; they know me."
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The 23-year-old from San Candido will try to focus on the tennis court and has played as he always did this year, but it will not be at all simple. After the ATP 500 in Beijing, Jannik will be one of the stars at the Masters 1000 in Shanghai before flying to Saudi Arabia for the 'Six Kings Slam'.
