Jannik Sinner has finally broken his silence about the shocking decision to part ways with his fitness trainer and physiotherapist just months after hiring them.
The world No. 1 had been working with Marco Panichi and Ulises Badio since September. Both guys have pretty impressive resumes – they’d worked with Novak Djokovic before Sinner brought them on board to help take his physical game to the next level.
They replaced Umberto Ferrara and Giacomo Naldi, who got the boot after their involvement in Sinner’s positive test for clostebol at Indian Wells became public knowledge.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jannik Sinner | 24 | 15,405 | 33 - 3 |
That’s what made this latest split so surprising.
Panichi and Badio are experienced, well-respected coaches. Nobody saw this coming. Tennis fans immediately started speculating online about what drama might’ve happened behind the scenes.
But Sinner insists there wasn’t any.
Speaking at his pre-tournament press conference ahead of Wimbledon 2025, the Italian tried to shut down the rumors. He says nothing dramatic went down – he just wanted to try something different.
“As I said, there’s not one specific thing. Nothing crazy happened. That’s for sure not. In this sport things can happen. There is nothing incredible, no, because sometimes a player feels something different, and that’s my case.”
It’s a pretty vague answer, honestly.
While it’d be unfair to call Sinner a liar, he’s definitely being evasive here. He doesn’t explain what he felt was different or how Panichi and Badio reacted to getting dropped.
When reporters pressed him for specifics, the 2025 Australian Open champion kept giving the same non-answer. Nothing particular happened, he just felt like it was time for a change.
“No, there is no specific reason and I can assure you that nothing sensational has happened. I think there are just moments in which you have to do something different. So far, however, I have been happy, even reaching the final at Roland Garros was a great goal regardless of how it went.”
The timing’s interesting too.
Another reporter asked if Sinner’s worried about how these departures might affect his game. He’s not concerned, and he revealed something pretty telling – this decision was made "a long time ago," even though it was only announced last Friday.
“No, it was something that had been decided for a long time. So far, I’ve always had a good time and we’ve done great things, but I wanted to do something different, and now I’m curious to know what will happen in London in the next two weeks.”
There’s definitely some skepticism about whether Sinner’s being completely honest here.
After the messy, controversial way things ended with Ferrara and Naldi, it’s hard not to wonder if there’s more to this story.
It’d be fascinating to hear Panichi and Badio’s side of things. But let’s be real – most former team members stay quiet out of respect for the players they worked with.
The bottom line?
Sinner doesn’t need any more drama right now. He’s already dealt with a three-month suspension and that heartbreaking Roland Garros final loss to Alcaraz after having three championship points.
If he wants any shot at winning Wimbledon, he needs his head completely in the game. No distractions, no lingering questions about his team.
The next two weeks in London will tell us a lot about whether this latest shake-up was the right call.
