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Jannik Sinner Reinstates Umberto Ferrara Amid Lingering Doping Case Fallout

Jannik Sinner rehired trainer Umberto Ferrara after doping case; Naldi remains sidelined.

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Jannik Sinner has rehired fitness trainer Umberto Ferrara, nearly a year after the two were involved in a doping case that rocked the tennis world. Ferrara, previously dismissed alongside physio Giacomo Naldi following positive tests for the banned substance clostebol, returns to Sinner’s team despite the controversy.

In March 2024, Sinner tested positive twice for clostebol but was later cleared of any fault or negligence by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA). The investigation attributed responsibility to Ferrara and Naldi, uncovering that Ferrara had supplied Naldi with trofodermin, a spray containing clostebol, to treat a cut on Naldi’s hand. Despite warning Naldi of the substance’s prohibited status, Ferrara reportedly knew Naldi typically treated Sinner without gloves. The contamination allegedly occurred when Naldi massaged Sinner after applying the spray to his finger.

Following the ITIA’s report, Sinner dismissed both Ferrara and Naldi, stating he could not continue working with them after their mistakes. Sinner served a three-month ban due to the violation but ultimately succeeded in settling with the World Anti-Doping Agency, which had sought to appeal the ITIA’s decision.

Despite Ferrara’s return, Naldi remains absent from Sinner’s entourage. Speaking to Repubblica, Naldi expressed emotional distress over the saga: “Here we go again. Now the nightmare begins again, like last summer. I have no intention of commenting. It’s a story that has made me too sad; it has damaged my image. When the time is right, we’ll talk about everything calmly. I don’t want to ruin this holiday, too. Right now, I just want to be left alone. I prefer not to comment. Maybe one day I will, but right now it hurts too much.”

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Sinner has not publicly addressed Ferrara’s reinstatement. The world No. 1, who guided him to the top ATP ranking and his first Grand Slam at the 2024 Australian Open, is set to return to competition at the Cincinnati Open, his title defense after missing the Canadian Open. This will precede his quest to defend the US Open crown.

ATP Madrid Open Masters

Draper Withdraws From Madrid and Rome After Right-Knee Tendon Flare-Up

Draper withdraws from Madrid and Rome with an aggravated right-knee tendon; ranking set to tumble.

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Jack Draper will miss the upcoming ATP Masters events in Madrid and Rome after an aggravated tendon in his right knee forced him to retire late in the third set of his Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell match with Tomas Martin Etcheverry. The left-hander has been limited to four tournaments this season after recovering from a lengthy left-arm injury, and this latest setback compounds an already interrupted campaign.

“It’s frustrating for sure, but I am thankful it isn’t anything more serious,” he said in a statement reported by British press. “Recovery is going well and I feel good about my chances of being fit for Roland Garros. I am looking forward to building momentum from there.”

Draper’s 2025 clay-court form is central to the stakes here. He was a surprise finalist at the Mutua Madrid Open and reached the quarterfinals at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. He later advanced to the fourth round of the French Open for the first time, only to have momentum interrupted by a bone bruise in his left arm that stalled his climb toward the ATP’s Top 4.

Those two ATP Masters 1000 events that precede the season’s second major still account for nearly 53 percent of Draper’s current point total. With the Madrid and Rome results set to drop off the rankings, the world No. 28 is projected to fall outside the Top 70 ahead of his bid to get fit for Paris.

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The immediate priority for Draper is recovery and timing his return for Roland Garros. He has signaled confidence in his rehabilitation, but the loss of points from the Masters series will produce a rapid ranking decline unless he can replicate past performances on the clay leading into the Grand Slam.

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1000 ATP Madrid Open

Jannik Sinner’s Madrid test: which opponents can end a 17-match run?

Sinner arrives in Madrid on a 17-match streak; with Alcaraz and Djokovic absent, Americans loom big.

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The 2026 Mutua Madrid Open draw sets the stage for Jannik Sinner as he pursues a fifth consecutive Masters 1000 title and his first at the Caja Magica. Sinner, the world No. 1, received a first-round bye and will open against a qualifier. He reclaimed the top ranking from Carlos Alcaraz by winning the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, and with both Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic absent from the draw due to injuries, a new challenger must emerge to halt his 17-match winning streak.

Two Americans stand out as potential obstacles. Tommy Paul, the 15th seed, could meet Sinner in the fourth round. Paul began the clay season by winning the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston. Ben Shelton, the No. 4 seed, is on course to meet Sinner in the semifinals and arrives fresh off a BMW Open title in Munich. Shelton’s Munich win was the biggest clay-court title for a U.S. man since Andre Agassi’s run to the Rome title in 2002, months before Shelton was born.

Paul will open against either Roberto Bautista Agut, who is competing in his final season, or Thiago Tirante. Shelton faces either Raphael Collignon or Matteo Berrettini in his opening match.

The top half of the draw also features Barcelona champion Arthur Fils, who anchors a quarter that includes 2025 finalist Jack Draper and No. 6 seed Lorenzo Musetti. With Alcaraz absent, Alexander Zverev is the No. 2 seed and will play his first match against Nuno Borges or Mariano Navone. Zverev has produced consistent results during the 2026 season but has tended to falter in the late rounds, most recently at his home tournament in Munich.

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Also sharing Zverev’s quarter are No. 17 seed Learner Tien and No. 7 seed Daniil Medvedev. Medvedev is seeking to recover after a rare 6-0, 6-0 loss in Monte Carlo. With several clay-form winners and higher seeds missing, the draw leaves room for new narratives as Sinner attempts to extend his streak in Madrid.

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ATP ATP 500 Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell

Rafael Jodar Cracks ATP Top 50 After Barcelona Semifinal Run

Rafael Jodar rises to No. 42 in ATP rankings after Barcelona semifinal; a year ago he was No. 686 ’26

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Rafael Jodar has completed a rapid climb up the ATP rankings, leaping from No. 55 to No. 42 to register his first appearance inside the Top 50. The 19-year-old Madrid native reached his first ATP 500 semifinal in Barcelona, a run that delivered the ranking boost.

A year ago Jodar was ranked No. 686. His rise accelerated in recent weeks: three weeks ago he broke into the Top 100 for the first time, moving from No. 109 to No. 89 after reaching the third round in Miami as a qualifier. Two weeks later he captured the first ATP title of his career in Marrakech, which propelled him from No. 89 to No. 57.

The Barcelona run extended his winning streak to eight consecutive matches, and at one point he won 13 sets in a row. Those results are enough to make him the youngest player in the ATP Top 50 and the Top 100, roughly one month younger than fellow 19-year-old Joao Fonseca, who is ranked No. 31.

There are several other notable moves this week. Corentin Moutet moved from No. 31 to No. 30 for his Top 30 debut after reaching the second round in Barcelona. Twenty-year-old Spaniard Martin Landaluce made his Top 100 debut, rising from No. 101 to No. 99. Landaluce had surged from No. 151 to No. 106 after Miami, and despite a first-round loss in Barcelona he crossed into the Top 100 as other players fell.

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Winners and runners-up at last week’s ATP 500 events also advanced. Ben Shelton, who won Munich, remains at No. 6 but narrowed the gap to Felix Auger-Aliassime from a 200-point deficit (4,100 to 3,900) to just 30 points (4,100 to 4,070). Munich runner-up Flavio Cobolli rose from No. 16 to a career-high No. 13. Arthur Fils, the Barcelona champion, climbed from No. 30 to No. 25, his highest ranking since last September. Andrey Rublev, the finalist, moved from No. 15 to No. 12, his best position since last August.

On the WTA side, Elena Rybakina remains at No. 2 after winning the WTA 500 in Stuttgart, and Marta Kostyuk moved from No. 28 to No. 23 after taking the WTA 250 title in Rouen.

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