Jannik Sinner says he would not have been able to achieve the level of tennis that enabled him to retain his Australian Open title if he had known he was guilty of his ongoing doping case.
The world number one beat Alexander Zverev 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 in Melbourne to make it three straight hard-court Grand Slam victories after winning the US Open.
Just two weeks ago, shocking news arrived in New York that Sinner had failed two doping tests last March, but was acquitted, and the World Anti-Doping Agency would appeal that decision.
Meanwhile, ahead of the Australian Open, the Court of Arbitration for Sport has announced that a hearing will take place in April, meaning Sinner could potentially miss this year's next Grand Slam, the French Open in May, if he is banned.
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Nick Kyrgios has criticized doping cases involving Sinner and Iga Swiatek, saying the handling was “horrendous” and that “the treatment must be fair for everyone”.
“I'm not thinking about this right now,” said the 23-year-old, who is the first Italian or Italian to win three Grand Slam singles titles.
“I just had a great race here again. I want to enjoy this moment. Then it's the hearing. Now we know the dates and that's it.
“I'm very proud. It's actually hard to describe. Many, many things happen off the field, what you might not know. When I go on the field, even if sometimes it's very difficult to block such things, I have a team and people who are close to me and who believe me.
“It's even more important for me because I can talk to them very openly. When I go out on the court, I try to focus on the match. Of course, it's still a little bit in the back of your mind. I know that I'm in this position now, so I can't change anything.
“I continue to play like this because I am clear about what happened. If I knew if I would be guilty, I would not play like this. Every time it (the case) turned out in a very positive way, and I still believe that it will be like that.
“I'm not thinking about this right now. Of course, you have your moments on certain days when you feel like I wish I didn't have this problem.”
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Highlights from Sinner's win over Taylor Fritz in the final of the ATP Finals in Turin
Sinner's consistent excellence in the face of such external negativity has been remarkable, with the Italian extending his unbeaten streak to 21 matches dating back to a loss to Carlos Alcaraz in Beijing in early October.
Like his great rival, who congratulated him, Sinner won his first three Slam finals and is now just one behind the Spaniard, as he equaled the ATP record by winning 47 of his first 50 matches as world No.1.
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