Umberto Ferrara, the fitness trainer at the centre of Jannik Sinner’s doping controversy, has thanked the world No 2 for his “trust” in a social media message following his return to the Italian’s team.
Sinner’s 2025 season concluded with the 24-year-old winning his sixth title of 2025 at the ATP Finals in Turin, beating Carlos Alcaraz in the final to successfully defend his crown.
The world No 2 reached the final of all four Grand Slam tournaments in 2025, triumphing at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, and also lifted trophies in Beijing, Vienna, and at the Paris Indoors.
Despite the Italian’s success, his season was marred by a three-month ban he served earlier in the year, with the 24-year-old settling his longstanding doping case with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
Sinner initially tested positive twice for the banned steroid clostebol in March 2024, with the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s (ITIA) initial investigation holding Ferrara largely responsible.
The ITIA accepted Sinner’s explanation that he had been contaminated after Ferrara gave physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi a spray containing clostebol to treat a cut on his hand, before Naldi then treated Sinner without the use of gloves.
After the investigation was made public in August 2024, Sinner announced an immediate split from both Ferrara and Naldi, and was later suspended from February – May 2025 after WADA’s initial appeal regarding the ITIA’s ‘no fault or negligence’ verdict in his case.
However, after splitting with replacements Marco Panichi and Ulises Badio in June 2025, the four-time Grand Slam champion decided to bring Ferrara back into his team.
Tennis News
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner ‘friends’ theory being ‘pushed way harder than reality’
Jimmy Connors reveals why Carlos Alcaraz & Jannik Sinner could ‘keep dominating’
The decision attracted questioning and criticism from some quarters, with Sinner refusing to comment too much further after an initial public statement.
Sinner ended the season strongly with consecutive titles at the Vienna Open, Paris Masters, and ATP Finals, also winning the China Open in September.
Ferrera was present for the world No 2’s post-title celebrations in Turin and, taking to Instagram, posted a message in which he reflected on his 2025 — and thanked Sinner.
He wrote (translated from Italian): “I’ve been in sports for many years but I’ll never stop being amazed at how beautiful it is.
“Sport is commitment, dedication, sacrifice; it’s emotion, smiles, tears; it’s victory and defeat, joy and disappointment; it’s comparison with oneself and others; it’s a desire to improve, analytical skills, confidence in work; it’s suffering in the dark moments that leave you inside a pain that is hard to digest, but it is also believing in the possibility of getting up and starting again with enthusiasm.
“It’s hard to condense it all into one post. This season (opened with the collaboration with Matteo [Berrettini], who I thank from the bottom of my heart) leaves me with so many unforgettable moments, which I was lucky enough to share with a fantastic team.
“Thanks to all of them but, above all, thanks to Jannik for the trust and the beauty of this common path.”
Sinner wrapped up his season following action in Turin, choosing not to play the Davis Cup Finals in Bologna, instead focusing on his preparations for 2025.
The Italian’s next official tournament will be the 2026 Australian Open, which he enters as the two-time defending champion.
The post Jannik Sinner’s fitness coach thanks star ‘for the trust’ after return following doping saga appeared first on Tennis365.
Leave a Reply