Jannik Sinner Gets ATP’s Shield as Their Latest Tactic Saves Him From Fans’ Brutal Backlash After China Open Showdown

Jannik Sinner can’t catch a break. Naturally, getting submerged in as many controversies in a few months is bound to do the trick. The Italian superstar has been receiving flak from the tennis world following his doping saga. In hopes of saving the World No. 1’s face, the ATP Tour took a precautionary step. However, those actions are bearing bitter consequences, with fans even more enraged at the circuit and Sinner.

After bagging the Cincinnati Masters title, it was revealed that Sinner tested positive for a banned anabolic, Clostebol, during his Indian Wells campaign in March. Despite the severity of the situation, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) ruled that the Italian did not obstruct any Anti-Doping Violations. Fast forward to September, fans’ disapproval of the independent tribunal’s decision heightened when Brazilian player Nicolas Zanellato, much like Sinner, tested positive for a prohibited substance during a Challenger event in Columbia and received a provisional doping ban. With fans lamenting over the Tour’s double standards, the Italian’s troubles were far from over.

Fans humbled the World No. 1 after his response to Carlos Alcaraz’s complaints about the Tour’s hectic schedule backfired in the most dramatic fashion. To avoid further outcry, the Tour came up with a solution – only to get ridiculed by fans. The official handle of the ATP shared a video of Sinner, Qinwen Zheng, Juan Carlos Ferrero, and Zhang Zhizhen at the opening ceremony of the China Open. What came next was fans’ taking notice that comments on the post were disabled by the ATP Tour, a potential approach to shield the Italian superstar from further backlash. However, this move did not particularly do any favors for Sinner.

Condemning the Tour’s decision, fans took to social media to raise their concerns over their official account restricting comments. Furthermore, many fans accused the Tour of protecting the 23-year-old, causing more turmoil in the community.

As for Sinner’s professional commitments, bitter-sweet updates have been rather prevalent. After narrowing gapping his rival in Beijing, the Italian sensation reserved a few words to reveal his weakness.

Jannik Sinner uncovers areas of improvement following opening round comeback

Italian superstar Jannik Sinner survived a night scare at the China Open in Beijing. The newly crowned US Open champion was made to work hard by Nicolas Jarry in the event’s opener, after trailing behind with a one-set deficit. Despite all odds, the 23-year-old maintained his composure to fight back and registered a comeback victory 4-6 6-3 6-1. After the contest, the top seed made a candid admission over his second serve struggles, highlighting his eagerness to remedy those troubles.

He said, “The second serve, I still have to improve a little bit. He was returning very aggressively. It’s not easy. After the US Open, we worked very hard on the serve, I’m happy about my process. Obviously, there is still a lot of room to improve.”

After a stellar 2024 season, the defending champion is looking to further his agenda in Beijing. Now, he will lock horns with either lucky loser Roman Safiullin or wildcard Stan Wawrinka in the second round on Sunday, September 29.