Jannik Sinner has admitted his recent anti-doping controversy was still on his mind as he battled his way to US Open glory on Sunday night.
The 23-year-old went into his showdown with home favourite Taylor Fritz hoping to claim his second Grand Slam trophy, having beaten Daniil Medvedev to win the Australian Open at the start of the year.
And Sinner operated at the peak of his powers on Sunday night, with the Italian crushing Fritz in straight sets to etch his name into the history books.
Prior to the start of the tournament, the tennis star was cleared of doping after previously failing two drug tests.
Jannik Sinner has admitted his recent anti-doping controversy was still on his mind as he battled his way to US Open glory on Sunday night
REUTERS
He claimed an anabolic steroid had entered his system through a massage from his physiotherapist and was cleared by an independent tribunal last month.
Sinner has already admitted that some players gave him a frosty reception in the locker room at the start of the US Open.
And the 23-year-old has now confessed that the ordeal was still on his mind as he beat Fritz to add to his Grand Slam haul.
"I'm happy how I handled this one. I'm just excited to have this trophy with me," he said.
"It was and it's still a little bit in my mind.
"It's not that it's gone, but when I'm on court, I try to focus about the game, I try to handle the situation the best possible way.
"Obviously it was very difficult for me to enjoy in certain moments.
"Also how I behaved or how I walked on the court in certain tournaments before, it was not the same as I used to be, so whoever knows me better, they know that something was wrong.
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"But during this tournament, slowly I restarted to feel a little bit more how I am as a person.
"It was not easy, that's for sure, but in the other way I tried to stay focused, which I guess I've done a great job mentally staying there every point I play, and that's it."
Sinner also paid tribute to his team for helping him overcome adversity and win the US Open.
Some figures within the game, such as Nick Kyrgios, have questioned the decision to let the 23-year-old compete.
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Jannik Sinner beat Taylor Fritz in straight sets to win the US Open on Sunday night
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But Sinner refused to bite back and insisted the backlash was out of his hands.
"The general reaction of the players was quite positive, even when things came out," he added.
"Then there have been, of course, some different voices, but this is in everything.
"This is not only in tennis. This is in other sports and different jobs also.
Jannik Sinner is now a two-time Grand Slam winner after beating Taylor Fritz to claim US Open glory
REUTERS
"You can't really do anything about that. That's why you have the people close to you, these are the people who knows what was going on and what I and my team went through because it was not only me; it was the whole situation.
"I just can talk from my side and from my team's perspective, and we are all very proud of this achievement."
