Jannik Sinner says he has a ‘clear mind’ despite WADA appealing the champion’s anti-doping case

Despite WADA’s appeal of Jannik Sinner’s 2024 anti-doping case leaving him uncertain for his future, the Italian champion has revealed how he has kept a ‘clear mind’ to stay at the top.

AUSTRALIAN Open winner Jannik Sinner says he continues to play with a “clear mind” despite knowing he could miss the rest of the season.

The Italian is facing an uncertain future with his anti-doping case to be heard in a closed-door hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in April.

WADA is appealing the decision not to ban Sinner after he twice tested positive for the banned steroid clostebol in March last year.

After defending his Australian Open title with an emphatic defeat of No.2 seed Alexander Zverev 6-3 7-6 (4) 6-3, Sinner said such a performance wasn’t capable if his mind was clouded by the drugs scandal.

Jannik Sinner says he plays with a ‘clear mind’. Picture: Adrian Dennis / AFP

“As I always say, I keep playing like this because I have a clear mind on what happened. If I know if I would be guilty, I would not play like this, and that’s it,” he said.

“I mean, I still believe every time it came out in a very positive way, and I still believe it’s going to be that case.

“At the moment I’m not thinking about this. Of course, you have your moments of certain days where you feel like I wish I would not have this problem. In the other way, I’m always looking forward to go on court, trying to understand.

“Now I also need my time off, which is also very important for my body and my mind. Then when I go again back on court, I try to improve.”

Before the final his Australian coach Darren Cahill praised the 23-year-old for his ability to block out the drugs furore.

“It’s actually tough to describe,” Sinner said. “Many, many things happen off the court, what you maybe don’t know. When I go on the court, even if sometimes it’s very difficult to block these kinds of things, I have the team and people who are close to me who trust me.

“That for me is even more important because I can talk with them, very openly. That’s it.

Jannik Sinner is a back-to-back AO champion. Picture: WILLIAM WEST / AFP

“When I go on court, I try to focus on the match. I know the match can be three, four, five hours, but that’s the gap of the day where I have to be very focused.

“Obviously also in the gym, trying to stay into your routine, then you think a bit less about what’s happening. Of course, it’s still a little bit in the back of your mind.

“I know that I’m in this position now. So nothing I can change.”

Sinner paid tribute to Cahill who is stepping down from coaching at the end of the year.

“Look, he’s a very honest, honest person,” Sinner said. “To be a good coach with many different players, you have to understand the player and you have to get into the rhythm of the player, what he likes, what he don’t like.

“It takes for him just some weeks to get into that, and then he’s there. One thing I really love about him is because he’s very, very humble.

“He suits the team very, very good. I tried also to make a good result for him here because being Australian, last grand slam as a coach.”

Originally published as Jannik Sinner says he has a ‘clear mind’ despite WADA appealing the champion’s anti-doping case