The optics of Jannik Sinner reappointing the fitness trainer he fired after doping scandal are not good

On the tennis court Jannik Sinner is easy on the eye – his liquid movements and effortless power make for compelling viewing.

Off the court though, the optics are less appealing. After serving a three-month suspension for a doping violation, which tarnished his reputation, Sinner has added fuel to the fire by rehiring a staff member who was central to the doping violation in the first place.

The world No 1 dismissed two of his staff because of his 2024 positive doping test.

Umberto Ferrara, the man who, according to Sinner’s defence, purchased a tube of Trofodermin, an over-the-counter spray, which contained the banned anabolic steroid clostebol, has been reinstated.

“Jannik Sinner has reappointed Umberto Ferrara as his fitness coach with immediate effect,” a statement from Sinner’s camp read.

“The decision has been made in alignment with Jannik’s management team as part of ongoing preparations for upcoming tournaments, including the Cincinnati Open and US Open.

“Umberto has played an important role in Jannik’s development to date, and his return reflects a renewed focus on continuity and performance at the highest level.”

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), which investigated the case after Sinner returned a positive sample on 10 March 2024, concluded that the banned substance entered his system by accident.

Sinner said his physio, Giacomo Naldi, who was given the medication by Ferrara, applied an over-the-counter spray containing clostebol to his own skin to treat a small finger wound, and then administered massages between 5 and 13 March without using gloves, according to ITIA.

Naldi was unaware that the product he had used on his cut contained clostebol, according to Sinner’s defence. Clostebol is a steroid that can be used to build muscle mass.

Plausible?

A provisional suspension was applied with each positive test but he was allowed to keep playing after his team filed urgent appeals.

Sinner subsequently fired Naldi and his fitness trainer Ferrara.

It initially seemed an implausible defence, especially as the concept of strict liability is central to any doping code. It means athletes are responsible for what they ingest at any time.

But ITIA found it plausible, as did the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) in the end.

Wada had appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against an independent tribunal’s decision last August to clear Sinner of wrongdoing.

But Sinner and Wada came to a settlement before the case went to CAS.

“Wada confirms that it has entered into a case resolution agreement in the case of Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner, with the player accepting a three-month period of ineligibility for an anti-doping rule violation,” Wada said in February.

“Wada accepts that Mr Sinner did not intend to cheat and that his exposure to clostebol did not provide any performance-enhancing benefit and took place without his knowledge as the result of negligence of members of his entourage.

“However, under the Code and by virtue of the CAS precedent, an athlete bears responsibility for the entourage’s negligence.”

Sinner was suspended for three months as a consequence of the positive finding. His ban ended just before the Italian Open in May and allowed Sinner to also play in the French Open later that month.

He went on to make the final at Roland-Garros, losing an epic five-set match against Carlos Alcaraz. Sinner subsequently won the 2025 Wimbledon title with a four-set victory over Alcaraz.

Poor optics

While the handling of Sinner’s case was done by the book, and his right to appeal his initial suspension was procedurally correct, the latest development is not a good look.

Sinner’s defence for what were minuscule traces of clostebol, were plausible and received the support of the head of the US Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) Travis Tygart.

“Transparency was upheld. Why was he (Sinner) not provisionally suspended? Well, he was. But he appealed it, and they lifted it. That’s within the rules,” Tygart told Daily Maverick.

“Sinner’s samples showed less than one nanogram of clostebol, which is minute,” Tygart said.

“It was like 500 picograms. There is an experiment that the Cologne Laboratory did where they got this medication, this lotion over the counter, and they rubbed it on their hands.

“They let their hands dry and a little while later, they went and shook hands with someone else.

“They then took the urine from that someone else. The results showed they had a low level of 500 picograms of clostebol.

“So, as outrageous as this (Sinner) scenario sounds, we know it could happen.”

Sinner now risks losing some of the understanding and sympathy he generated from sceptics, especially after his recent performances, allied to his respectful demeanour and growing rivalry with Alcaraz.

It is boosting men’s tennis and has helped rebuild his tarnished image.

The sport needs a rivalry to maintain the high interest levels now that the era of the Big Three – Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic – is over.

But this feels like a misstep in his public relations rehabilitation.

There’s an underlying debate about accountability and perception, especially given Sinner’s high profile as the current world No 1 and recent Wimbledon champion status.

Ferrara might well be innocent in the entire saga, but considering the controversy around the incident and the subsequent investigation, was it the smartest move to re-employ a fitness trainer who provided a banned substance, innocently or not?

While Sinner’s team has framed the move as a strategic decision for performance and continuity, the reaction from the broader tennis community might not be so forgiving. DM

Timeline

• 12 February 2024: Umberto Ferrara, Sinner’s fitness coach, purchases Trofodermin, an over-the-counter spray containing the anabolic steroid clostebol, at a pharmacy in Bologna, Italy;
• 3 March, 2024: Physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi cuts his finger and, after bandaging it, begins using the Trofodermin spray, provided by Ferrara, for nine days. During this period, Naldi gives Sinner daily full-body massages without wearing gloves;
• 10 March 2024: Sinner provides two in-competition urine samples at the Indian Wells tournament that test positive for clostebol;
• 18 March 2024: An out-of-competition urine sample provided by Sinner, ahead of the Miami Open, also tests positive for clostebol;
• 4 April 2024: Sinner is formally notified of the adverse analytical finding and is provisionally suspended. He immediately appeals the suspension, which is lifted the following day;
• 17 April 2024: Sinner is notified of the second adverse finding. He again appeals the provisional ban, and it is upheld;
• 30 May 2024: The International Tennis Integrity Agency formally charges Sinner with anti-doping rule violations;
• 19 June 2024: Sinner’s legal team submits detailed explanations, arguing inadvertent contamination due to Naldi’s use of the spray and Sinner’s skin condition;
• 15 August 2024: An independent tribunal hears Sinner’s case while he is competing at the Cincinnati Open;
• 20 August 2024: News of the doping case is publicly revealed. The independent tribunal finds Sinner bore “no fault or negligence” for the positive tests, effectively clearing him. He is stripped of prize money and points from Indian Wells;
• 23 August 2024: Sinner announces he is parting ways with both physiotherapist Naldi and fitness coach Ferrara;
• 26 September 2024: The World Anti-Doping Agency lodges an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the ITIA’s “no fault or negligence” ruling, seeking a ban of one to two years for Sinner;
• 10 January 2025: CAS schedules a closed-doors hearing for the Wada appeal on 16 and 17 April 2025;
• 9 February 2025: Sinner’s period of ineligibility (ban) officially begins, after he reaches a settlement agreement with Wada;
• 15 February 2025: Wada and Sinner announce a case resolution agreement, where Sinner accepts a three-month ban for the anti-doping rule violation. Wada withdraws its appeal to CAS. The ban means Sinner cannot play until 4 May 2025;
• 13 April 2025: Sinner is cleared to resume official training activities with his team;
• 4 May 2025: Sinner’s three months of ineligibility ends, making him eligible to return to competition;
• 7 May 2025: Sinner is able to play in the Italian Open, his first tournament back after the ban;
• 23 July 2025: Sinner rehires Umberto Ferrara as his fitness coach, nearly a year after dismissing him.