ROME — Wimbledon champion Jannik Sinner has made a significant move by bringing back Umberto Ferrara as his fitness coach, nearly a year after parting ways with him due to his involvement in Sinner’s doping controversy.
This decision follows Sinner’s recent departure of fitness coach Marco Panichi and physiotherapist Ulises Badio from his team.
“Umberto has been pivotal in shaping Jannik’s journey thus far, and his return signals a renewed commitment to continuity and peak performance,” stated Sinner’s team on Wednesday.
No specific reasons were disclosed for Ferrara’s reinstatement, other than it being a decision made in collaboration with Jannik’s management team as they gear up for upcoming tournaments, effective immediately.
The recent shifts in Sinner’s team began after his intense five-set loss to Carlos Alcaraz in the French Open final last month, leading to the announcement of Panichi and Badio’s exit. Remarkably, when Sinner triumphed over Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final, he did so without full-time trainers by his side.
In the previous year, Sinner faced controversy when he tested positive for a trace amount of an anabolic steroid in March; however, the case only became public in August, just before the U.S. Open, which he spectacularly clinched, marking it as his second Grand Slam title.
Initially, Sinner was cleared based on the argument that he was accidentally exposed to the banned substance Clostebol due to a massage from his then-physiotherapist, Giacomo Naldi. It was revealed that Ferrara had acquired a product in Italy and handed it to Naldi for a cut, with Naldi treating Sinner without gloves.
Following the incident, Sinner dismissed both Naldi and Ferrara, with Ferrara briefly joining the coaching staff of Matteo Berrettini, another Italian player.
The World Anti-Doping Agency challenged the exoneration, resulting in Sinner’s acceptance of a three-month ban that concluded right before the Italian Open in May of this year.
Sinner is set to return to competition at the Cincinnati Open next month, as he prepares to defend his title at the U.S. Open. He is scheduled to resume training at his Monte Carlo base this week following a short break after Wimbledon.
Ferrara, also a qualified pharmacist, originally joined Sinner’s team in 2022.
Naldi has not been brought back into Sinner’s fold.
