Jannik Sinner just added a new physiotherapist to his team before heading to the 2025 China Open in Beijing. It’s another change for the world No. 2, who’s had quite the year when it comes to his support staff.
The backstory here is pretty complicated.
Sinner used to work with physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi and fitness coach Umberto Ferrara. But those two guys were directly involved in his positive test for a banned substance last year. That’s why he had to cut ties with them.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jannik Sinner | 24 | 15,405 | 33 - 3 |
Earlier this year, the Italian hired Marco Panichi and Ulises Badio – two big names who previously worked with Novak Djokovic.
But here’s where it gets interesting. Sinner surprisingly ended that partnership after just a few months. For a while, he didn’t even have a physiotherapist on his team full-time.
He did bring Ferrara back as his fitness coach, which raised some eyebrows given the doping controversy.
Now he’s found his new physio. Alejandro Resnicoff is an experienced guy who’s been working on the ATP Tour for over 15 years. Before this, Sinner was just using whatever physiotherapists the ATP provided at tournaments.
Given all the drama around his team changes – and that whole doping situation – reporters obviously wanted to know about this latest addition.
They asked Sinner what the biggest change Resnicoff brought to the team.
His answer was pretty refreshing. He said he didn’t want big changes at all. He needed someone who’d fit in with what they’re already doing.
"Look, no specific changes. I mean, on the court, we are changing a lot. Off the court is more or less the same. He’s a very experienced physio, obviously being on the ATP Tour for 15 years, more or less. Also before he had other tennis players, so… He has a lot of experience."
Sinner really emphasized how Resnicoff respects their existing team dynamic.
"He also respects how we are as a team. It’s not that he comes in and changes everything. If he sees that we have or could potentially improve something for my body, he’s here to help. This is how it works. But it also takes time. I’ve worked with him a little bit in the years when I didn’t have my physio. Not as much."
The Italian clearly values stability right now. After all the upheaval with his support staff, having someone who won’t rock the boat probably feels pretty good.
"Obviously, now having him for me, it’s a huge privilege. He’s super, super experienced. A very honest person, a nice and kind person. He also has a family at home. He has a nice situation also outside of work. Yeah, it’s everything going in the right direction."
You can tell Sinner appreciates that Resnicoff seems like a solid guy both professionally and personally.
Feeling Good After the US Open
With tennis players basically traveling non-stop these days, everyone always wants to know how they’re holding up physically. Sinner got that question ahead of the Beijing tournament too.
The good news? He’s feeling healthy.
"Yeah, I mean, it’s again great to be back in a tournament. After the US Open, the body’s in good shape. Mind also. Had some good time off after the US Open. Yeah, we are preparing ourselves in the best possible way. Of course, the first round is never easy in any tournament. So let’s see what I can do tomorrow."
It sounds like he got some solid recovery time after his US Open run. That’s huge when you’re trying to stay competitive through these grueling schedules.
"But in everything, I’m very happy to be back again. Hopefully, to play some good tennis. But we try to prepare ourselves in the best possible way. Obviously, I’m looking forward to playing again here in China, and we’ll see how it goes."
Sinner seems genuinely excited to be back on court. After everything he’s been through this year – the doping controversy, the team changes, all the scrutiny – it’s probably nice to just focus on playing tennis again.
The China Open should be a good test for how his newly-configured team works together. With Resnicoff now handling physio duties and the rest of his support staff settled in, maybe Sinner can finally get some consistency in his corner.
