Roger Federer didn’t seem to say anything crazy about Jannik Sinner, but a former top-20 player didn’t like what the Swiss said.
January Sinner failed two drug tests in March. When the International Tennis Integrity Agency looked into him, they usually suspend a player and then lower the ban after an official review. But this time, they didn’t suspend him. Some have thought that Sinner got special treatment because he is the ATP No. 1.
A couple of the best players ever chimed in on how they thought the Sinner situation was handled. Rafael Nadal said that he believes Sinner did nothing wrong. Plus, he knows the Italian and sees him to be a stand-up person who would not cheat.
Roger Federer also had thoughts about the way the review of the failed drug tests was finished. The Swiss said that any mention of doping is not something tennis needs, whether a player took something knowingly or not. To be sure, Federer did not say he thought Sinner was guilty of knowingly doing something wrong.
Roger Federer told to stopping talking about Jannik Sinner’s failed drug tests
Nadal’s and Federer’s comments came after ones Nick Kyrgios had which is that the Australian thought Sinner should automatically be suspended for two years before he can prove his innocence. To be fair to Kyrgios, this is the way the ITIA handled a similar problem with Simona Halep. She was banned for four years until her suspension was lowered after an appeal.
That Kyrgios took a bad view of the Sinner situation might have clouded how some viewed what Nadal and Federer said. This looks to be the case with former top-20 player Paolo Bertolucci (who happens to be a countryman of Sinner’s). Speaking on the La Telefonata podcast, Bertolucci saved most of his vitriol for Kyrgios, especially a photo the Aussie shared of himself and Anna Kalinskaya.
Kyrgios and Kalinskaya either used to date or simply be friends, but Kyrgios captured the picture of him and Kalinskaya with “Second serve” which appeared to be an attempt to insult Sinner for dating someone after Kyrgios did. Bertolucci said, “(He) can’t stand behind what he says. He made that obscene joke about the second serve, and someone rightly answered ‘then the first one failed’. But you can’t stoop to this level, come on.”
About Federer’s words, Bertolucci said, “Kyrgios and Federer? None of the two (were positive about) Sinner. You have to shut up and let it go. You can’t (talk) this story anymore.”
Bertolucci has a right to his view, of course, but Federer and Kyrgios have a right to speak theirs as well. Bertolucci has no right to tell Roger Federer not to talk about something he wants to discuss.