"When Rafael Nadal speaks, we listen" - Boris Becker reacts to Spaniard's thoughtful comments on Jannik Sinner drugs controversy
Boris Becker hailed Rafael Nadal for backing Jannik Sinner after the World No. 1 tested positive for a prohibited substance, clostebol, earlier this year, and received backlash from tennis enthusiasts. Sinner is currently competing at the 2024 US Open where he advanced to the quarterfinals after ousting Tommy Paul in the fourth round.
In March, the 23-year-old tested positive for a substance that is typically used to build muscle mass. However, the International Tennis Integrity Agency cleared him of doping charges after an independent tribunal declared the traces of clostebol found in Sinner's body as inconsequential. One of Sinner's team members reportedly treated a cut on his hand with a spray containing the prohibited substance and massaged the player with that hand, leading to contamination.
Amid the ongoing controversy, Rafael Nadal backed Sinner, opining that the World No. 1 was cleared after the authorities were certain he didn't dope.
"Justice is justice and we don't have to like it only when they decide what we want them to decide. If he hasn't been sanctioned, it's because the judge has clearly seen that he hasn't doped. I don't think they have judged him as innocent simply because he is the World #1," Nadal said in an interview.
In response, Boris Becker, the German tennis legend and youngest winner of the Wimbledon Championships title, hailed the Spaniard on X (formerly Twitter). He wrote:
"When Rafa speaks , we listen !"
Jannik Sinner will next face Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinals of the US Open.
Boris Becker recently praised Rafael Nadal for his unmatched French Open success
Rafael Nadal's success at the French Open is unmatched with 14 titles. The Spaniard also boasts a win-loss record of 112-4 at the Major.
Nadal made his debut at Roland Garros as an 18-year-old in 2005 when he bested Mariano Puerta in the final to win the title. Since then, he won another 13 titles on the surface, earning the nickname 'King of Clay'.
Boris Becker praised Nadal and said that his success on the clay is beyond any athlete of any sport.
"You win it five times, that’s a lot. You win it 10 times, it’s impossible. Nadal’s won it 14 times. I don’t know any other record in any other sport that equals that," he said (via CNN).
The 14-time French Open titlist recently announced his withdrawal from the 2024 US Open on Instagram stating that he was ready to give his 100%. Nadal claimed he will be back for the 2024 Laver Cup, slated to run from September 20 - September 22.