Wimbledon champion Jannik Sinner has rehired Umberto Ferrara as his fitness coach nearly a year after firing him for his role in the top-ranked player’s doping case.
Sinner parted ways with Ferrara and physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi last year following the investigation into his positive tests for banned substance Clostebol in March.
The reunion comes after Sinner recently removed fitness coach Marco Panichi and physiotherapist Ulises Badio from his team. He didn’t have full-time trainers working with him while winning the Wimbledon title.
“The decision has been made in alignment with Jannik’s management team as part of ongoing preparations for upcoming tournaments, including the Cincinnati Open and U.S. Open,” Sinner’s team said in a statement. “Umberto has played an important role in Jannik’s development to date, and his return reflects a renewed focus on continuity and performance at the highest level.”
No further reasons were given for why Ferrara was rehired.
Sinner received a three-month ban in February in an agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency. WADA had appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against an independent tribunal’s decision in August to clear Sinner of wrongdoing.
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Sinner, who returned to action in May and lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the French Open final before beating him to win Wimbledon, said Clostebol, which can build muscle mass, entered his system after Naldi applied an over-the-counter spray to a cut on his own hand before carrying out treatments on Sinner.
The spray had been given to Naldi by Ferrara.
Sinner was cleared of fault or negligence by the independent tribunal, which accepted that he had inadvertently been contaminated with the substance.
Speaking at last year’s US Open, Sinner explained his decision to part ways with Ferrara and Naldi, saying he was “not feeling that confident to continue with them.”
Ferrara, who had laid the blame for the incident on Naldi, worked with Matteo Berrettini this year.
Sinner will return to action at the Cincinnati Open next month as he prepares to defend his US Open title. He was due to resume training at his base in Monte Carlo this week after a post-Wimbledon break.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
