Jannik Sinner has admitted he feared players would turn their back on him after he failed two drug tests as he opened up in a revealing interview.

The world No 1 tested positive for a banned substance twice in March but was absolved of fault or negligence by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).

The ITIA accepted Sinner’s explanation that clostebol, an anabolic agent that can aid muscle growth, had accidentally entered his system via a product one of his team had used to treat a small wound.

The decision was met with criticism in the tennis world and now Sinner’s agony will continue into 2025 after the World Anti-Doping Agency appealed against the ITIA decision and called for a one to two-year ban for the Italian.

Sinner does not address the WADA appeal in his interview with Esquire, but he looks back to the revelation of his failed drug test and admits he was terrified of how his fellow players would react.

“It was a tough time,” he tells me. “I couldn’t talk to anyone about it. I couldn’t vent or get help. All the people who knew me and watched me play understood that there was something wrong with me.

“I had sleepless nights because even if you are certain of your innocence, you know that these things are complex. Everyone immediately told the truth and that allowed me to play. But at Wimbledon, I was white.

“And even afterwards, my feeling with people was fearful. I went into training at the Cincinnati clubhouse and thought, ‘How are they looking at me? What do they really think of me?’. I realised who my real friends are.

“I have grown so much this year, both mentally and physically.”

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Sinner also revealed the player who forced him to change his game more than any other, as he identified Daniil Medvedev as a rival who gave him his biggest dilemmas.

Medvedev got the better of Sinner time and again at the start of their rivalry, but Sinner turned that record around in 2024 as he admitted to a change in tactics.

“My tennis is versatile, but, for example, I still don’t know how to play the net game well,” he added.

“A player who has made me grow a lot is Medvedev. I had never done serve and volley, and he forced me to practise that to try to beat him. Against some players, I have to do more of a long backhand.

“In tennis, you learn from your relationship with your opponent. The real question for the player is: how do I get into the opponent’s head? If you guess the answer, things in the match change.

“For me, losing often to Novak Djokovic taught me a lot. It’s good for you; it wakes you up. In football, you might play against Ronaldo and realise you have to prepare better next time. But when is the next time? In tennis, we have more opportunities to make up for it.”

Sinner will face a decision in WADA’s appeal against his drug ban in early 2025, but that decision will not be made before next month’s Australian Open, where he is the defending champion.

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