Jannik Sinner was determined to bring back fitness trainer Umberto Ferrara

The Italian announced in a statement released earlier this week that Ferrara would return to his team this summer.

Sinner's decision came after he fired fitness trainer Marco Panichi and physiotherapist Ulises Badio in June, just weeks before his ultimately successful Wimbledon campaign.

Panichi and Badio had joined the world No 1's entourage last autumn after he had previously fired Ferrara and former physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi in the aftermath of his doping violation.

Sinner twice tested positive for the banned steroid clostebol in March 2024, though the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) deemed him to have been of "no fault" for the violations.

Instead, the report centred responsibility on Ferrara and Naldi for the contamination.

Ferrara reportedly gave Naldi trofodermin, a spray containing clostebol, to treat a cut on his finger, with the physiotherapist then causing the contamination by massaging Sinner without gloves following his use of the spray.

Despite being cleared of wrongdoing by the ITIA, the world No 1 has been under repeated scrutiny since the report was publicly released in August 2024.

And, the 23-year-old ultimately served a three-month doping ban earlier this season, settling with the World Anti-Doping Agency after they launched an appeal against the ITIA's ruling.

The controversy and the ensuing fallout make Sinner's decision to rehire Ferrara all the more surprising, though it has now been suggested that the world No 1 had never truly wanted to part ways with Ferrara.

Speaking to Repubblica, former Italian tennis pro Diego Nargiso claimed that the four-time Grand Slam champion only parted ways with Ferrara as it was considered "necessary" under the circumstances.

"I was very surprised by his return to the team," said Nargiso.

"It's a courageous choice on Jannik's part, it confirms his determination: he knows how Umberto works, and he wants to continue along the path.

"I believe that then it was an act [the firing] that was more necessary than desired. Maybe someone had done something negligent, but I know Umberto: he is a very attentive, scrupulous person, a great professional.

"Jannik wanted him back with him, rightly going beyond the chatter and controversies of some envious people."

Sinner's decision to rehire Ferrara comes just 11 months after the fitness trainer was fired alongside Naldi.

And, it comes as it was revealed that Darren Cahill will not be present for the world No 1's US Open title defence at the end of the summer.

Cahill is thought to be taking a break during the duration of action at Flushing Meadows, with Sinner's long-time coach Simone Vagnozzi set to lead the lines from a coaching perspective.