Sinner savours US Open win after 'difficult' build-up

Jannik Sinner says it "means truthful much" to triumph nan US Open aft a "very difficult" play pursuing nan contention complete his positive tests for a banned substance.

The world number 1 stormed past American Taylor Fritz successful Sunday's last to declare his 2nd Grand Slam of nan year.

It was revealed six days earlier nan tourney started that Sinner had been cleared of immoderate wrongdoing aft doubly testing affirmative for debased levels of a metabolite of clostebol - a steroid that tin beryllium utilized to build musculus wide - successful March.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) ruled nan Italian was inadvertently contaminated pinch nan constituent by Giacomo Naldi, his physiotherapist.

"This title intends truthful overmuch because nan past play of my profession was not easy," nan 23-year-old said.

"It [the investigation] was and still is connected my mind. It's not that it's gone, but erstwhile I'm connected court, I effort to grip nan business nan champion imaginable way.

"I'm happy really I handled this one. I'm conscionable excited to person this trophy pinch me."

Sinner subsequently parted ways pinch Naldi and fittingness trainer Umberto Ferrara, who provided Naldi pinch nan over-the-counter spray that contained nan substance.

However, questions remained astir whether Sinner's lawsuit had been handled otherwise to those of different players because of his world number 1 status.

Sinner added that he felt "more pressure" successful New York than he did erstwhile he won his maiden Grand Slam title astatine nan Australian Open successful January.

"Here it was difficult because besides nan pre-tournament circumstances weren't easy," Sinner said.

"I felt for illustration that I person grown, you know, lucifer by lucifer and that my assurance level went higher and higher astatine immoderate point."

This is nan first twelvemonth since 2002 that 1 of nan 'Big Four' - Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic aliases Andy Murray - person not won a Grand Slam title.

Instead, Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz person stolen nan limelight, sharing nan 4 fields successful 2024 and starring nan measurement for tennis' adjacent procreation of men's singles players.

Former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli told Sky Sports she believes nan brace could "win 15 to 18 Grand Slams each".

"It's bonzer really this happens clip and clip again wherever you interest wherever nan early of nan crippled is going to go," erstwhile British number 1 Annabel Croft told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"The early is successful specified safe hands pinch Carlos and Jannik."

French Open and Wimbledon champion Alcaraz, 21, is 1 of only 4 players who person been capable to hit Sinner truthful acold successful 2024.

However, Sinner has won 55 of his 60 matches this play and claimed six titles - doubly arsenic galore arsenic Alcaraz.

The Spaniard, who suffered a astonishment second-round exit successful New York, congratulated Sinner connected his latest triumph connected Instagram, adding: "You merit it".

Sinner said it is "nice to see" caller champions for illustration himself and Alcaraz emerging successful nan sport.

"I consciousness for illustration nan caller generation, we push each other," he told ESPN.

"I ever person players who are going to make maine a amended player, because location are going to beryllium times wherever they hit me.

"Then you person to effort to find a measurement really to triumph against definite players."