Not many would’ve imagined that Jannik Sinner would meet such a fate after winning his maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open earlier this year. However, just before the start of the US Open, the Italian star was embroiled in a doping controversy that refused to die down. The Italian star tested positive for a banned substance, Clostebol, but was let off by the ITIA after providing a satisfactory explanation of how he came in contact with it. Subsequently, WADA reopened the case and filed an appeal in the CAS, asking for Sinner to be banned for 1-2 years. Amid this controversy, Andy Roddick highlighted a harsh truth in the tennis world.

Earlier this year, the PTPA set up a welfare commitment with health services. Under the MedNet program, the players will have access to the top medical infrastructure in the world. However, during the Served With Andy Roddick podcast, PTPA chief Ahmad Nassar revealed that the MedNet facility is only available subject to the availability of Robby Sikka.

This didn’t go down well with Roddick, who criticized the program, saying, “You can’t say it is available to everyone and then say subject to availability. Like simply, for me, it gives me brain worms. You can’t say it’s available to everyone and then say it is available to how higher ranked you are and it gets prioritized.”

The PTPA MedNet program enables players to have free round-the-clock access to medical expertise. Tennis is an expensive sport where players are individual contractors. As a result, this program acts as a boon to the players who are going through tough times due to injuries. Former World Number 3, Dominic Thiem, lauded the launch of this program.

Dominic Thiem was all praise for the ‘huge help’ from PTPA

A former US Open champion, injuries haven’t been a stranger for Thiem. Back in 2021, the Austrian star suffered a major wrist issue that significantly impacted his career. While the MedNet program wasn’t there then, Thiem was happy with its launch this year and revealed how big of a help it can be.

He stated, “I had to fend for myself and if you’ve never had such an injury before, it’s always difficult because you naturally don’t have contacts with the best doctors. I was lucky enough to eventually be referred to a specialist through several connections. I was also fortunate that my partner, Redbull, provided superb support. But only a few have these circumstances and for players who don’t, a doctor provided by the PTPA is a huge help.”

While everything has two sides, the MedNet program has also come in with some criticism, like partiality toward top players and a contradictory stance on 24×7 availability. It is high time that such issues be resolved at the earliest to enable the players to take maximum advantage of this program in times of distress.