Jannik Sinner may be in his best form of late, but the dark thoughts of his doping controversy continue to hang over him. In one of the most shocking pieces of news in the tennis world last year, Sinner was caught in a doping scandal that lasted for months. Eventually, Sinner settled the case by accepting a three-month ban earlier this year, but parted ways with a majority of his coaching staff, including his physiotherapist, Giacomo Naldi, and fitness coach, Umberto Ferrera. However, ahead of the US Open, Sinner made a rather shocking decision that left the tennis world stunned.

The Italian star has rehired his fitness coach, Ferrara, mere months after his suspension. Although the two didn’t have a good separation, Sinner knows what Ferrara brings to the table and appointed him again with the hectic campaign ahead in the United States. Although his decision raised many eyebrows, the Italian star defended his call to work with Ferrara again.

Sinner is currently in Cincinnati, where he is in the semifinals of the tournament after a confident win over Felix Auger-Aliassime. During his post-match interview, Sinner was asked about his decision to re-appoint Ferrara. The World Number 1 said, “It was a different situation. Now everything is different. I felt like, at this point, I needed someone who knew my body better. We worked together for about two years before this break. His work has brought me a lot of benefits.”

Further, he went on to add, “We worked on every area of my body: mobility, stability, and even my body’s endurance has improved. I think he did a great job. I also got along well with Marco [Panichi], but maybe he wasn’t the best choice. I’ve always had a good feeling about Umberto.”

The rehiring of Ferrera comes at a vital time for Sinner, when he is looking to win back-to-back Grand Slam titles after his Wimbledon success. He will be rearing to go at the US Open, where he’s the defending champion. Moreover, he is on an 11-match winning streak and also explained the main reason behind his recent success.

Jannik Sinner credits his return game for his winning streak

While Sinner’s service game is second to none, the Italian star has stepped up his return game big time. He likes to put in aggressive returns, and it was much evident during his win over Auger-Aliassime in the quarterfinals of the Cincinnati Masters. After the match, the Italian star described his recent success and how it was linked to his improvement in his return game.

Sinner said, “I felt that I was returning very well today. I think that was the key point, which gave me the confidence to serve well. I had a small drop in the second set when he broke me. It could have been a small change, but I am happy I broke him back quite early. He is a very difficult opponent because he serves well, he moves well. Physically in incredible shape and hits the forehand very well. But we prepared in the best way, also tactically and I felt like today I was playing some great tennis.”

Interestingly, Sinner won a whopping 80% points on his Canadian opponent’s second serve. It goes to show why Sinner will be the hot favorite to win the upcoming US Open title, something which his opponents will be wary of.