Jannik Sinner recruits Novak Djokovic’s former fitness coach and physiotherapist
Jannik Sinner has employed two former members of rival Novak Djokovic’s team, as the World No.1 looks to rebuild his own back bench after the announcement of his two failed anti-doping tests.
Sinner is coming off the back of winning his second Grand Slam title at the US Open, after beating American No.1 Taylor Fritz in the final.
However, it has not been all plain-sailing for Sinner this past month, after it was revealed that he had failed two anti-doping tests back in March.
This came after the prohibited substance clostebol was found in Sinner’s system, but he was able to continue playing on the grounds of contamination.
Sinner claimed that his physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi had used a cream that contained clostebol on his own hand, before massaging the 23-year-old’s feet.
— Jannik Sinner (@janniksin) August 20, 2024
After the news was revealed publically, Sinner split with both Naldi and fitness coach Umberto Ferrera and now he has filled those vacant positions.
Marco Panichi (fitness coach) and Ulises Badio (physiotherapist) will fill those roles, with both previously working with Djokovic.
Panichi was Djokovic’s fitness coach until May earlier this year, while Badio left the Serbian’s team back in 2022 after five years together.
When announcing the new partnership, Sinner posted a selfie on social media with his new team members saying, “Welcome to the team Marco and Ulises.”
Benvenuti nella squadra Marco e Ulises 💪🏼 pic.twitter.com/lxmvUsKeiL
— Jannik Sinner (@janniksin) September 16, 2024
Sinner will play his first tournament with Panichi and Badio by his side as the defending champion in Beijing, with the event beginning next week on Thursday 26th September.
Inside the baseline…
This news had been heavily rumoured, but it is certainly interesting now it has been confirmed after what has been a difficult period for Jannik Sinner. Sinner has been compared to Novak Djokovic a lot in recent months, and this is only going to heighten those comparisons with two of the former members his rivals team. It would also be interesting to know what Djokovic thinks about this announcement.
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