No, it wasn’t the roof structure of the Rod Laver Arena that made Jannik Sinner, 23, feel uncomfortable at this critical moment for him. It was the images on the screen just below that distracted him so much during his serve that he made a double fault on his debut and gave his opponent a break point to make it 4-3 in the first set. The referee picked up the phone and asked the direction to refrain from zooming in quickly when the actors were making serve movements. He didn’t have to intervene with the roof because it has a very interesting function: it is maneuvered in real time from both sides so that, regardless of the position of the sun, the entire playing area is always bathed in sunlight – there is not a square centimeter of shadow during the day.
This is a new experience for the defending champion these days, because of course there is this cloud that follows him wherever he goes on the course and that casts a dark shadow over him and this tournament. “I would be lying if I said I could suppress it, it has been with me for a long time now.” It is the Topic of conversation in Melbourne: Is it really okay that Sinner can compete in the first Grand Slam tournament of the year? And what if he defends his title? In the 7:6 (2), 7:6 (5), 6:1 in the first round against the Chilean Nicolás Jarry, he underlined with great enthusiasm and nerves that he definitely intends to be even more successful in 2025 than last season : He had won eight titles, including two Grand Slam events (Melbourne, New York), three Masters tournaments and the ATP final at the end of the season – and lost just six matches.
:Sinner can’t get rid of his doping case
The World Anti-Doping Agency is appealing against the acquittal of the world number one and is calling for a ban of one to two years. The Italian reacts “disappointed and surprised”.
The cloud is his doping case, which is still not completely resolved and will not be resolved during this tournament. Last Friday, the sports court Cas announced that Sinner would come to a hearing in Lausanne in mid-April. In almost three months – an eternity.
Sinner was tested positive twice for the anabolic steroid Clostebol by the International in March 2024, at tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami Tennis Integrity Agency (Itia) was acquitted on the grounds that Sinner could not be proven to have been intentionally guilty and that the amount was so small that it could not have been performance-enhancing. The Itia followed Sinner’s explanation that the banned substance entered his body through the hands of his physiotherapist during a massage or treatment. The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) objected to this and called for a ban of one to two years. Until things are clarified, Sinner is allowed to compete on the biggest stages this sport has to offer.
So guilt and stage, although the official accusation is by no means that Sinner intentionally took performance-enhancing substances. According to current knowledge, to claim that would be just as wrong as to claim at the other end of the spectrum that there was an acquittal and that the matter was settled. Little is done, that’s exactly where the problem lies.
“I wonder why some players are treated differently,” says Novak Djokovic
It is no longer just about Sinner’s shared responsibility in this complicated case, but also about the question of whether sports justice really treats all actors equally, regardless of their prominence. “I wonder why some players are treated differently,” said, no, not just anyone, but 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic. Sinner may be number one right now. Djokovic is the most successful in history, his word carries weight, and the shadow becomes an eclipse when he says: “Maybe it has to do with the position in the rankings, financial opportunities or better lawyers.”
The clear accusation – in addition to the fact that a player is responsible for what is found in his body: the stars on stage are more important than a correct processing. It is aimed at the ATP players’ association (chief Andrea Gaudenzi said that everything was “100 percent correct”) and at Itia, which only made the Sinner case public when the verdict was announced five months after the findings and is also being criticized , because she banned the women’s world number two, Iga Swiatek, 23, from Poland, for just one month after her positive result in August. Swiatek won her opening game against Czech Katerina Siniakova 6:3, 6:4 on Monday.
What surprises some Australians, even if doping cases can never be directly compared: Sinner plays in the largest arena, Max Purcell is not even allowed on the facility. He had inadvertently exceeded the permitted limit of 100 milliliters of vitamins during an infusion – which did not contain any banned substances -, accepted responsibility and on December 23rd accepted the provisional ban from Itia, which excluded him from the tournament.
Purcell isn’t just anyone either. Together with compatriot Jordan Thompson, he reached the Wimbledon final in doubles last year, and at the US Open the two even triumphed in the final against the Germans Kevin Krawietz and Tim Pütz. In addition to the ecstasy duo Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis, who won in Melbourne in 2022, Thompson and Purcell were the second Australian hope for another mega party in Melbourne. This penalty was “a joke,” said Thompson, who won his first-round singles match against Dominic Koepfer 7:6 (3), 6:4, 4:6, 6:3 and is now playing doubles with the Canadian Vasek Pospisil: “Max had a few too many vitamins in the bag and will be suspended,” Thompson defended his actual doubles partner Purcell, “others get caught with much worse things in their bodies and get away with it.”
The debates will continue, and the unclear situation also means that, on the one hand, Sinner often has to talk about this dark cloud, about the reception before the first game, for example: “I was curious and very happy that the audience was friendly.” On the other hand he has to pretend everything is normal. After the victory, he, who is currently being criticized by many colleagues, was asked on the pitch how he managed to be an inspiration to many other professionals. Sinner answered professionally: “Success should never change who you are as a person.”
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