Jannik Sinner starts poorly at the US Open but wins his first match since his steroids case emerged

NEW YORK (AP) — If there were any boos directed Jannik Sinner's way at the U.S. Open, they were imperceptible amid the polite applause from the sparse crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium when he was introduced Tuesday before the No. 1-ranked man's first match since his doping case emerged a week ago.

After a sloppy and slow opening set, Sinner pulled away for a 2-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 victory against Mackie McDonald of the United States to reach the second round at Flushing Meadows.

“The response from fans, I feel it has been great. Also throughout, when the news came out, in the practice sessions, there was a lot of support, which I’m very glad and happy about,” Sinner said. “It is still a little bit not easy. You have to go through, day by day.”

There were no apparent signs in the stands or disparaging shouts making reference to what no one knew about for months: Sinner tested positive twice for trace amounts of the anabolic steroid Clostebol in an eight-day span in March.

Nothing was announced publicly until last week, when word came that the 23-year-old Italian was docked prize money and ranking points from the tournament where the first result appeared, but he escaped a suspension because it was ruled he was not at fault and the drug entered his system unintentionally, through a massage from his physiotherapist.

In his first public comments on the matter, at a pre-tournament news conference Friday, Sinner said he had fired the fitness trainer who bought an over-the-counter spray containing Clostebol in Italy and the physiotherapist who used it for a cut on his finger before treating the player and transferring the substance to his body.

During a brief on-court interview in Ashe, Sinner wasn't asked about the case, which has drawn some criticism from other players, including Novak Djokovic, about the way it was handled and questions about whether certain athletes are treated differently than others when it comes to the process for determining punishments related to doping.

“I cannot really control what they think and what they (say). I cannot control the players’ reaction," Sinner said. “If I have something to say to someone, I go there privately, because I’m this kind of person. But, look, overall, it has been not bad. So I’m happy about that.”

Against McDonald, an American ranked 140th who fell to 4-13 in 2024, Sinner was way off the mark at the outset. He double-faulted. He put what should have been an easy smash into the net. He messed up volleys. It added up to 14 unforced errors in the initial set, helping McDonald grab five games in a row from 2-all to collect that set and go up a break in the second.

“I made him see a lot of balls. I served really well, too. I was defending super well,” said McDonald, who beat Rafael Nadal at the 2023 Australian Open. “My level just decreased, which is disappointing. I feel like I can play some really good tennis, which I did for a little bit. But to do that for a long time against a guy like that was too tough for me.”

Sinner turned things around quickly in the second set, making just 15 unforced errors combined over the last three sets, including zero in the third, and next will face another American, Alex Michelsen.

The way Sinner picked up his play is what everyone is used to seeing from him, particularly on hard courts like those used in New York. He improved to 29-2 on the surface this season with four titles, including his first Grand Slam trophy at the Australian Open in January.

“He just constantly pressures you,” McDonald said. “The ball is coming back so fast, over and over and over.”

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Mackenzie McDonald, of the United States, returns a shot to Jannik Sinner, of Italy, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Jannik Sinner, of Italy, returns a shot to Mackenzie McDonald, of the United States, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Mackenzie McDonald, of the United States, chases down a shot from Jannik Sinner, of Italy, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Jannik Sinner, of Italy, returns a shot to Mackenzie McDonald, of the United States, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Jannik Sinner, of Italy, reacts after scoring a point against Mackenzie McDonald, of the United States, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Miami Beach residents and visitors can feel it coming in the air tonight — and the rest of the weekend — as “Miami Vice” cast and crew gather to celebrate the iconic television series' 40th anniversary.

The show premiered on NBC on Sept. 16, 1984, and ran for five seasons. The “cocaine cowboy”-era crime drama, featuring Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as undercover cops, was revolutionary in its use of pop culture, style and music. And by filming the show primarily in South Florida, the series helped transform the image of Miami and Miami Beach in a way that would reverberate for decades.

Former cast members, including Edward James Olmos and Michael Madsen, met with fans Friday at the Royal Palm South Beach and were set to return Saturday. Also attending were Saundra Santiago, Olivia Brown, Bruce McGill, Joaquim De Almeida, Bill Smitrovich, Pepe Serna and Ismael East Carlo.

“It was not ‘Hill Street Blues.’ It was not ‘Police Story,’ ” Olmos said on Friday. “It was way different in artistic endeavor on all levels. The creativity, as far as music, writing, production value. The production value was so overwhelming. We spared nothing. I mean, these people were serious, and they spent a lot of time and money for each episode, and it shows.”

Olmos said that the show had a profound effect on introducing Miami to the world and creating an idealized version of South Beach that would later become a reality.

“When we were here, when we started the show in 1984, there was no South Beach,” Olmos said. “There was a South Beach, but it was dilapidated. The buildings were all literally falling into disrepair.”

Years before serious restoration efforts would transform South Beach into a center of fashion, music and tourism, Olmos said productions crews were painting the exteriors of the neighborhood's historic Art Deco buildings themselves to make them look good on camera.

“We would paint the facades and put out tables, and we did what now became the reality of South Beach,” Olmos said.

While most television production was still being done in Los Angeles or New York in the 1980s, Olmos doubts the show would have been as successful if they had tried to fake South Florida in California.

“They could have never shot this anywhere else in the world,” Olmos said. “Look at the show from the very first episode, and as it went on, the beauty of Miami is unprecedented.”

Premiering just a few years after the launch of MTV, “Miami Vice” embraced contemporary style and music. Besides Jan Hammer's original scoring, the producers regularly included songs from popular artists like Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Dire Straits and Foreigner.

Fred Lyle, an associate producer and music coordinator for “Miami Vice,” said the importance of music was evident from the first episode, as “In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins plays while Johnson and Thomas cruise the streets of Miami in their Ferrari convertible.

“And that’s when ‘Miami Vice’ became different musically than anything else,” Lyle said. “Music was going over this scene, that scene. One song was helping to stitch the fabric of the narrative together.”

Aside from the show's style, the stories and characters also had substance. Veteran television actor Bruce McGill has played countless cops, coaches and other authority figures over several decades, but he said his guest role as a burnt-out former detective in the second season of “Miami Vice” stands out compared to the straight-laced characters that comprise most of his career.

“It was a very good part that they allowed me to make better, to enhance, to ham it up a little,” McGill said. “And it was very satisfying.”

"Miami Vice" fan Matt Lechliter, 39, traveled all the way to Miami Beach from Oxnard, California, to celebrate the show's anniversary.

“I wasn't alive when it premiered, but it's a part of me,” Lechliter said.

Lechliter said he remembers watching the later seasons and reruns with his parents as a child but really became a fan when he rediscovered the show about five years ago.

“I binge-watched it," Lechliter said. “I was like, ‘Wow, this really is amazing.’ When I heard about this event, I said, ‘I’ve gotta go.' ”

The anniversary celebration will continue through the weekend with career discussions, as well as bus and walking tours of filming locations.

The Miami Vice Museum is open to the public from Friday to Sunday, featuring a wide range of items never before displayed together since the show’s conclusion in 1989. The exhibit is being hosted at the Wilzig Erotic Art Museum.

And to kick off the celebration on Thursday, Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner met with cast and crew at the Avalon Hotel in South Beach to present a proclamation declaring Sept. 16, 2024, as “Miami Vice Day.”

Fans gathered at the Royal Palm South Beach in Miami Beach, Fla., on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the television series "Miami Vice." (AP Photo/David Fischer)

Fans gathered at the Royal Palm South Beach in Miami Beach, Fla., on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the television series "Miami Vice." Actor Edward James Olmos, who played Lt. Martin Castillo, takes a photo with a fan. (AP Photo/David Fischer)