"He was then acquitted": Jasmine Paolini coach confirms Jannik Sinner questioned about doping night before Australian Open 2025 final

Italy’s tennis star Jasmine Paolini’s coach has revealed that the authorities interrogated men’s world number one Jannik Sinner regarding the doping test the night before the Australian Open final.

The 23-year-old is already regarded as one of the best players currently playing in men’s tennis in the singles category, along with the likes of Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz and Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, has recently lifted his second Grand Slam while playing in Melbourne after beating world number two Alexander Zverev in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 7-6, 6-3.

Women’s world number four Paolini’s coach Renzo Furlan has been recently quoted in a report where he revealed Sinner was interrogated about doping the night before the Australian Open final. He also praised the reigning world number one for showing the unique quality of producing the goods despite being under pressure regarding the doping scandal.

“There was always this doping situation hanging over his head,” said Furaln. “I said to him: 'You've managed to do extraordinary things even under this pressure. And he replied: 'You know how it went in Cincinnati? Things could have gone well or badly. For the first time, we rented a house instead of a hotel room. We had two cars to transport us. I drove one and my team drove the other. I needed these moments to myself. It's something that may sound silly, but it gave me great peace of mind.' It's worth remembering that this guy, before the semi-final against Zverev, had to be heard from 4 am to 10 am. He was then acquitted and, in the afternoon, won his match in three sets. Only someone with extraordinary qualities can do that.”

Sinner tested positive for banned substances on two occasions in March last year. Despite that, he managed to avoid a ban after the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced that they had accepted the player’s counsel’s response where they claimed that the availability of the banned substance in the player’s sample was because of receiving cream for treatment from one member of the coaching staff. The verdict by ITIA, however, has been challenged by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and demanded a two-year ban for the reigning world number one in men’s tennis.