Silence kills trust, always.

ATP 
Sinner tested positive twice but was cleared

Tennis really didn't need that Sinner drama... When I tell you my eyes nearly jumped off my skull when I received the ITIA email announcing the whole Jannik Sinner situation. There’s not a whole lot of tennis news that can pop your eyes off your skull, but the World No.1 being tested positive (twice) will absolutely do that. Not only that he tested positive, but that it all started back in Indian Wells. What do you mean? He just won Cincinnati… And that’s where I feel people either kept reading or stopped, and so apples and oranges started to be compared. “How in the hell weren’t we made aware that he had tested positive? Surely, everybody concerned is corrupted!” Hmmm, let’s take a deep breath. And so, let’s put facts in:

WHAT HAPPENED? 
1) Sinner provided an in-competition sample at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells on 10 March 2024, which contained a metabolite of clostebol at low levels. A further sample, conducted out of competition eight days later, also tested positive for the same metabolite. Clostebol is an anabolic agent.

2) Sinner was allowed to keep playing instead of serving the provisional suspension that is automatically applied in such a case. Why? Because he could afford to get all the experts and lawyers on the case in 24 hours. And they apparently did a great job and won their case. Then, on August 15, an independent tribunal decided that Sinner was bearing no fault or negligence, accepting his and his team's explanations that he got contaminated by a cream his physio had on his hands for a deep cut while doing the massages.

WHY DID THE INSTANCES STAY SILENT?
As Sinner won his appeals, instances weren’t allowed to communicate the situation. You need a provisional suspension or a full decision on the ban to be made before public disclosure. So that’s why it happened back in March, and we found out in August. These are the regulations. Not corruption, just the rules. Now, people want to be mad at the fact Sinner won these appeals when other players didn’t, fine, it’s another thing.

WHY DID SINNER STAY SILENT? Well, why would he have opened that hell gate before having no other choice? Also, his lawyers probably reminded him of the best strategy in these cases: you shut it up. When you see people going through every sentence of that case decision to see if it is shady, you get why Sinner kept silent. He had the option of seeing this whole process taken care of out of sight, with no fuss and with no risk of being made an example of whatever, so he took it. The goal was the win, nothing else. He won.

WHY IS THE LOCKER ROOM BOILING? I have been surprised by the amount of players taking on social media to come for Sinner. For once, they were done with the bro code? Wow. So clearly, it hit a nerve. Why? Well, solidarity with the less-known and less rich players who got suspended when Sinner could walk. Fresh memories of the Simona Halep situation. A general anger against the system that’s been growing for a while now, so at the first opportunity, it’s all getting out. Are top players protected? Are the richest of these players protected? Sinner doesn’t seem to be the target: it’s what he represents that is.

Everything is getting thrown into a giant bowl of apples and oranges. Yes, players got suspended for three no-shows in the past, as they should have because that’s the rule, and exactly how do you know they’re missing these tests for non-doping reasons? Yes, it’s rare to win an appeal against a provisional suspension, but it happened, and I think it’s the main nerve being hit there: how did he win this? Facts say his case was good enough to win. Suspicion says tennis might have freaked out. But also another Italian player, Marco Bortolotti, tested positive for the same product in January this year, and it took just eight days for the ITIA to come to the same conclusion as for Sinner, after months, that he was bearing no fault or negligence. As it’s been reported, Italian sport has been plagued with these cases for suspicious reasons or because it’s sold over the counter there.

WHY ARE TENNIS PEOPLE TEMPTED TO EYEROLL: Because one day Sara Errani walked away from a ban by saying the drug fell in her pasta. And it’s just one example. We’re also living in a post-truth era where too many people struggle even to want to see facts. Was the sport overjoyed at the idea of granting Sinner his appeals to keep playing? I have no idea. Was this tribunal overjoyed at the idea of believing the physio explanation? I have no idea. An investigation and a decision have been made: one has to believe the system works unless proven otherwise.

WHAT’S NEXT? Well, Jannik Sinner, who has been going through it already, as explained by his coach Darren Cahill, might find himself in hot water at the US Open. It’s one thing to win the case but another to deal with optics. Yet, Sinner had before that a pristine reputation and is overall extremely appreciated by the Tour and the fans so it should play for him when the storm has passed. But he is not totally off the hook, as WADA now has the power to appeal the decision. What tennis could do to restore a bit of confidence in the system that has been damaged again is to change the rules and decide that even if the player wins the appeal against the provisional suspension, the situation will be communicated. Silence kills trust, always.

QUESTION OF THE DAY 
Do you play?

You were 75% to say that the results of the past weeks won’t matter when the US Open comes.

As the Tour announced the launch of their official video game (see below), I’m wondering:

BUSINESS / MEDIA 
A record, a box, and AI can play tennis

• Coco Gauff is coming for your breakfast, as she will soon start defending her US Open title. She’s been given her first orange box by Wheaties as a limited edition. Gauff takes after Billie Jean King, who also had her box this year. They will both attend the Fan Week at the US Open in an event set up by Wheaties. “The two will share their experiences from the worlds of sports and activism, how those experiences have shaped their careers, and what it means to be a Wheaties Champion,” the brand said. As for Gauff, here’s what she said about this in a statement: “It is an honor to be on the next Wheaties box, especially as the legendary Billie Jean King passes the historic ‘Wheaties Champion’ title onto me. I’ve had so many role models in this sport help guide my professional and personal journey, and I hope to keep empowering the next generation to also work hard and dream big.”
  

• It was a good year for Cincinnati, as the Masters 1000 announced they broke their attendance record, with 205 068 on the grounds throughout the event. “The total figure does not include the crowd of 7,002 that came out for the first-ever Community Day, an event that raised nearly $200,000 for local charities. (…) Thirteen of the tournament’s 16 sessions were sold out, and nine were record-setting for that particular session. In addition, the all-time single session record was set on the opening day of match play, Sunday, Aug. 11, at 14,852,” the tournament said via email.

• Do you want to play tennis but not risk a knee? Or kill time during the next rain delay? Or compensate for not being able to attend the next US Open? Maybe here’s your solution: the Tour’s new video game. In collaboration with NACON and Big Ant Studios, the WTA and the ATP are bringing 120 of the best players and 90 officiant tournaments on a new video game called TIEBREAK. Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff got the cover.
  

• And because it seems we cannot escape AI, here’s the latest news about how it’s coming for tennis, too. When you’re done playing that new official video game from the Tour, you could turn to Match Point AI. What? A tennis simulation that confronts AI agents with virtual professional players, “giving players data-driven tennis strategies and tools to help improve their game.” How? “It models the complexities and uncertainties of real tennis, allowing AI to test new strategies in virtual games.” So, it could be applied to work on one’s strategic skills: learn from the top players’ patterns how to get yours better. Interested? You can learn more here:

MENS SANA IN CORPORE SANO 
Rough year for Vondrousova

This too shall pass. Marketa Vondrousova surely hopes so! Sure, the Czech played the quarter-finals at Roland-Garros, but she’s been struggling with all types of injuries (she missed the Olympics because of a hand injury) throughout the year, going through a divorce, losing her grandfather during indian Wells, losing in the first round of Wimbledon, where she was the defending champion, and now she had to get shoulder surgery. She had already withdrawn from the US Open and so will lose the points from last year’s quarter-final run.

Yet, if such one existed, she may have won the “tennis player’s sentence of the year” competition with this line: “Our marriage with Stepan ended a few weeks ago, we broke up. He moved out of with the cat.” Let’s hope 2025 will bring better omen for the lefty player.

SOME BREAK POINTS… 
Djokovic x Pickleball?

• Keep your friends close and your enemies closer? Maybe it’s how it makes sense? Or, maybe you have to show up for your sponsor, no matter what you might think of the type of racquet it’s asking you to use. Who knows! Anyway, as I write these lines, Novak Djokovic is still scheduled to play a pickleball exhibition with Jannik Sinner (timing is everything!) and Barbora Krejcikova. Why? Because Head has set it up. And why are some people snarking about it? Well, because just a month ago, Djokovic said pickleball was endangering tennis. And now he’s promoting it. If you can’t beat them, join them? I don’t know. I mean… Pickleball got some VIP support from tennis stars lately, with Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf, Maria Sharapova, and John McEnroe joining the ranks.
  

• Talking about Novak Djokovic, how nice was it to see Juan Martin Del Potro join him for a practice at the US Open at Arthur Ashe Stadium? Organized by the tournament, the session was still a nice sight for the fans. These two players have played some memorable battles and have quite the history! Despite it all, they’ve remained great friends since day 1. Love to see that.
  

• Learner Tien. First of all, great name. Most importantly, the 18-year-old is on a wild run this summer. He has now reached the quarter-finals in Winston Salem after having also “won 35 of his last 37 matches across the ATP Tour, ATP Challenger and ITF Futures levels, including a 28-match winning streak.” Tien is the youngest American to reach a Tour-level quarter-final since Brandon Nakashima in 2020. I got to chat with Tien last year when he was playing in the juniors event at Roland-Garros, and he told me he had doubted many times that tennis would be a career for him before finding enough joy and determination to commit. Great to see it’s now paying off.
  

• Tennis Australia joins the USTA and the LTA in the WTA’s coach inclusion program. The WTA announced on Wednesday in a statement that “their partnership with Tennis Australia will expand the Coach Inclusion Program into the Asia-Pacific region.” What’s the program about? It’s “geared towards attracting, training, and developing women coaches, with the goal of breaking down barriers and providing opportunities for women entering professional tennis at the coaching level.” When does it start? It will begin in October 2024 at the Hong Kong Tennis Open.

PLAY HARD, TRAIN HARD, DRESS THE PART 
Gauff says yes to the dress

She’s a top player, a game changer, and a fashion designer. Yes, Coco Gauff is trying to have it all! The US Open champion, who’s logically all over the news as she’s getting close to defending her title, has designed a limited edition collection with American Eagle.

@americaneagle

@Coco Gauff x AE 🦋 shop the limited-edition collaboration designed by Coco inspired by her confidence, on & off the court available now 🎾💜

“Gen Z is the ultimate hustle generation. They don’t want to be defined as just an athlete or just an activist, or just a patriot or just a business person. “Coco is a great representation of Gen Z in that way,” said Craig Brommers, chief marketing officer (CMO) of AE, in this feature from FastCompany about marketing to GenZ. You can browse and shop the Coco Gauff collection here.

EDITOR’S PICKS 

You can find other picks here, including my go-to newsletters for anything tech*, anything backstage* or professional sports*, and the one for everything NIL*. If you’re a solopreneur, you might like this one, by the way.

READ: Penguin Random House made a list of the books that should suit US Open fans, so let’s see if you might find a gem in there.

WATCH: The legendary Chris Evert is opening up on Good Morning America about having to battle ovarian cancer for the second time and about returning to work for the US Open.

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