Immediately after the details of the doping incident were released, Jannik Sinner made the inevitable decision to part ways with two members of his team – Umberto Ferrara (athletic trainer) and Giacomo Naldi (physiotherapist). In search for replacements, reports suggest that the Italian superstar could acquire someone who was an integral part of Novak Djokovic’s team.
According to multiple sources, the frontrunner to replace Ferrara as the World No.1’s athletic trainer is Marco Panichi.
“The names of the new staff members should be made official, replacing Umberto Ferrara (athletic trainer) and Giacomo Naldi (physiotherapist), who closed the collaboration with the player after the explosion of the doping affair… The choice fell on Marco Panichi, who worked for a long time with Novak Djokovic, and has a very long experience,” Gazzetta dello Sport said.
Panichi is one of the most experienced and distinguished individuals in the industry. Across his career, the Italian has worked alongside numerous athletes such as Fabio Fognini, Christian Garin, and Ivo Karlovic. However, the most well-known personality of all is Novak Djokovic.
Panichi was part of the Serb’s camp for seven years. In this span, his contributions were invaluable for Djokovic, helping the latter win 12 out of his 24 Grand Slam titles. But during the clay-court season, the two amicably parted ways.
“Grande Marco, what amazing years of collaboration we’ve had. We reached the summit, won titles, broken records. But most of all, I have enjoyed our most “ordinary” days of training in and out of the gym… Grazie Romanista (as Goran calls you) for all the energy, effort and time you invested in making me the best possible player and person I can be,” Djokovic wrote in a heartfelt Instagram post.
Since the split, Panichi joined Shang Juncheng’s team, resulting in an evident improvement in the 19-year-old’s game. Considering the success that his pupils witness, fans are excited to see Sinner elevate his game to a new level. As for Jucheng, if the reports are true, the Chinese will have to be in search of a new trainer.
