By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Wednesday, August 28, 2024
Photo: Matthew Stockman/Getty
NEW YORK –Jannik the Sinner carries a lot more than a custom Gucci bag to court these days.
World No. 1 Sinner shouldered the concerns of the crowd as he walked onto Arthur Ashe Stadium for his US Open opener.
Evert on doping: I think they protect the best players
How would New York’s popular fans respond to Sinner in his first game since the ITIA announced he twice tested positive for the banned steroid clostebol last March? Sinner was not suspended because a court found he had “no fault” for the small amounts of clostebol in his system.
The fans were positive and supportive as Sinner rallied from a slow start to stop American Mackenzie McDonald 2-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 at Ashe Stadium.
Afterwards, Sinner said the response was pleasantly surprising.
“I’m curious to see how the fans’ reaction has been, but it’s been very positive,” Sinner told the media. “I really liked how the support was, playing against an American as well, no, it’s a little bit different.
“So I’m happy with how I handled that situation, it wasn’t easy. So I think a lot of positives from today, and so let’s continue to see what comes in the next round.”
Criticism has come from several players ranging from Nick Kyrgios to Denis Shapovalov.
Asked for his reaction to Sinner’s case, Daniil Medvedev, who fell to the Italian in five sets in the Australian Open final last January, said: “I think what he did was not within the rules. It’s just that the rules are a little unclear.”
“I think my perspective is a little bit — I think I saw Taylor (Fritz) and I really like what he said. He said, look, only he knows what exactly happened, so we can’t know,” Medvedev said. “Nobody can know the exact truth except him, his team and maybe the guys who, as an independent tribunal.
“I hope that this situation is the same for every player, as every player can defend themselves, because I think what he did was not within the rules. It’s just that the rules are a little unclear and so on.”
The Cincinnati champion said there has been a response from his peers in the locker room as well. Sinner said he acknowledges that his case — and his judgment — will elicit strong responses from other players.
“Yes, there are some reactions. You know, I can’t really control what they think and what they say,” Sinner said. “You know, that’s how it all went down and how it was, I already talk, right?
“I can’t control the reaction of the players and if I have something to say to someone, I go there privately because that’s who I am. But, look, overall, it hasn’t been bad. So I’m happy about that.”
Olympic gold medalist Novak Djokovic said Sinner’s case – and the response to how it was handled – should be a learning tool for the game’s governing bodies to standardize the process.
Djokovic said Sinner’s case highlights the fact “there has to be a change and I think it’s clear” as he raised the question: Can superstars afford another level of “justice” when it comes to doping cases?
“We hope that the governing bodies of our sport will be able to learn from this case and have a better approach for the future. I think collectively there needs to be a change and I think it’s clear,” Djokovic said. “A lot of players – without naming any of them – I’m sure you already know who these players are, have had similar or the same, almost the same cases, where they have not had the same result, and now the question is whether it is a case of funds, whether a player can afford to pay a significant amount of money to a law firm that would then represent in most efficiently his/her case.
“I don’t know. Is this the case or not? This is something that I really think we need to investigate more collectively, look at the system and understand how these cases don’t happen, meaning not the case itself, but how we can standardize everything so that every player, regardless by his rank or status or profile, is able to receive the same kind of treatment.”
