Jannik Sinner wasn’t interested in talking much when reporters asked him about his shocking decision to bring back Umberto Ferrara as his fitness trainer at the 2025 Cincinnati Open.
This is the same guy Sinner fired when his doping scandal went public.
Ferrara was Sinner’s fitness trainer until the Italian let him go during all that drama. He and physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi got the boot right before the 2024 US Open because they were involved in Sinner testing positive for clostebol, a banned substance.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jannik Sinner | 24 | 15,405 | 33 - 3 |
Here’s what happened: Naldi had a cut on his finger, and Ferrara gave him some product to treat it. Problem was, that product contained the prohibited substance.
The clostebol got into Sinner’s system when Naldi gave him massages without wearing gloves. Just like that, the 23-year-old found himself in a nightmare situation.
Sinner ended up serving a three-month suspension from February until just before the 2025 Italian Open started in May. Right after the 2024 US Open, he hired Marco Panichi and Ulises Badio as his new fitness trainer and physiotherapist.
But then something unexpected happened.
The ATP world No. 1 surprised everyone by splitting with Panichi and Badio just days before the 2025 Wimbledon Championships. Sinner didn’t give many details but confirmed it was his call.
That was pretty surprising on its own. But Sinner’s decision to rehire Ferrara left people absolutely stunned.
Why would you want to work again with someone who was responsible for putting you through all that anxiety and stress? It’s really tough to understand.
Sinner’s blunt reply to being asked about reappointing Ferrara
At his pre-tournament press conference in Cincinnati, a reporter tried to get more details from Sinner about the move. Up until that point, the only announcement had come from his team as a group.
Sinner knew this was controversial. He’s not stupid – he understands the possible negative publicity of having Ferrara back on his team.
His response was pretty short and didn’t offer any new insights:
"Yeah, I think we said it all, everything in the statement. I’m very happy to be here and play again this tournament."
That’s it. Nothing more.
Even though Sinner doesn’t want to discuss it, this probably won’t be the last time he’s asked. US Open reporters will definitely want more details, especially since he fired Ferrara just before last year’s tournament at Flushing Meadows.
Sinner’s known for staying calm under pressure. He managed to keep his cool throughout the entire doping saga.
But more questions about Ferrara might start to get under his skin. Even though he brought this on himself by rehiring the guy.
Sinner has not let previous controversies distract him
Here’s the thing about Sinner – his level of play was incredible even while his doping case was still up in the air.
The guy won the 2024 US Open and 2025 Australian Open while dealing with all that uncertainty. He kept a firm grip on the No. 1 ranking too.
Firing Panichi and Badio before Wimbledon didn’t throw him off either.
He won his first title at SW19 by beating Carlos Alcaraz in four sets, getting revenge for that brutal French Open final loss to the same opponent just weeks earlier.
All that evidence suggests Sinner will perform well again at the US Open, regardless of outside distractions. His co-coaches Darren Cahill – who might stay on next season after originally planning to retire – and Simone Vagnozzi have been crucial in helping him stay focused.
Cahill’s role has been especially important in keeping Sinner’s head in the right place when everything else gets chaotic.
The US Open starts in just a few weeks. We’ll see if Sinner can block out the noise once again.
