Jannik Sinner surprised many when he parted ways with two important team members on the eve of Wimbledon, and the reason for his decision has seemingly been revealed.
The Italian star split with both fitness trainer Marco Panichi and his physiotherapist Ulises Badio days before the start of Wimbledon.
Sinner brushed off concerns that the move could affect his Wimbledon chances, though, as he went on to secure his maiden title at the London major and fourth Grand Slam overall.
Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera has reported that Sinner took the decision to fire the two team members due to Panichi sharing details in interviews.
One incident after Sinner’s defeat to Carlos Alcaraz in the epic five-set 2025 French Open final particularly bothered the world No 1.
Panichi disclosed to the media that Sinner cried for 15 minutes in the locker room after the match and also that the Italian was frustrated by the crowd’s heavy support for Alcaraz.
This, apparently, did not go down well with Sinner, while Badio — who joined the team at the same time as Panichi in September 2024 — was reportedly axed as “collateral damage.”
Panichi and Badio spent long spells working as a duo in Novak Djokovic’s team before their time with Sinner.
In his pre-Wimbledon press conference, Sinner insisted there had been no issues between him and Panichi or Badio as he addressed the split.
“No, nothing major happened,” the 23-year-old explained. “Nothing big happened. I parted ways not long ago, but it’s not affecting me. I feel ready to compete. I feel free. I feel me and my team, we are ready to do the best we can.
“So I’m here to play good tennis. I think that’s my main goal, the main reason why I’m here. We’ve reached incredible results in the past with them, so obviously huge thanks to them. We made some great job, but I decided to do something different.”
Pressed on the reason for his decision, Sinner did not give much away: “As I said, there’s not one specific thing. Nothing crazy happened. That’s for sure not.
“We made some great work. For me the final in Roland Garros was an amazing achievement. That’s it. Look, in this sport things can happen. There is nothing incredible, no, because sometimes a player feels something different, and that’s my case.
It was a move that former No 1 Andy Roddick struggled to explain before Wimbledon.
“That’s a really weird thing to do, yeah. On the eve of Wimbledon, you wouldn’t… had to be something,” the American said on his Served podcast.
“I don’t know anything, but my guess would be that it has to be something off court, whether it’s financial, whether it’s an argument. This doesn’t feel like what you would do when you’re trying to win your first Wimbledon.
“This also sounds like it could be something that we will never know the answer to, at least publicly.”
Panichi has since been hired by Holger Rune and will join the Dane at the Cincinnati Masters.