ATP
Sinner stewing as return to tennis draws near
Jannik Sinner has broken his silence as the end of his three-month ban from tennis nears, with the world No. 1 admitting it will take “a little time to find myself again.”
The Italian gave his thoughts to SkySports Italia as he prepares to resume training in a few weeks with his ban for involuntary doping infractions ending on May 4, just a fortnight before the start of Roland Garros.
Sinner signed an agreement with anti-doping body WADA to serve time away from the sport which he dominated in 2024 after inadvertently ingesting a banned substance off the hands of his now-ex masseur last season.
The player called the entire episode “a little unfair” but accepted an ad-hoc sanction arrangement.
“It could have been much worse. We accepted (the suspension) quickly, even if I did not really agree .
“We had to choose the lesser of two evils and I think that’s what we did. What I’m going through is a little unfair, but if you look at it, it could have been much worse – it could have been even more unfair “
The 23-year-old added: “Once I made that decision, it took me a little time to find myself again. Other things happened, beyond this affair, which weren’t easy for me.
“It will take me a little more time to digest all of that, but I’m here. I can’t wait to make my return to Rome (Masters which begins a few days after his return).”
Sinner, a two-time Australian Open champion who also holds the US open crown. is unsure of his reception by peers when he comes back to the Tour in Rome.
“I don’t know what could happen . I’m certain of how things happened – I’m innocent.
“I want to play tennis and be very calm, that’s the end of it. I’m sure everything will be fine, even if it might take a while to get going again at first .”
Despite being out of action, Sinner has managed to maintain the top ATP ranking as rivals Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz continue to trail through poor results during their rival’s enforced absence.
23 Time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams claims she would have received a 20 year ban if she had failed a drugs test similar to that which ATP World No. 1 Jannik Sinner received just a three month suspension in February 2025.
“I love the guy, love this game,” Williams, told Time magazine after being named one of its 100 most influential people.
“He’s great for the sport. I’ve been put down so much, I don’t want to bring anyone down. Men’s tennis needs him.
“(But) if I did that, I would have gotten 20 years. Let’s be honest. I would have gotten grand slams taken away from me.”
43 year old Williams retired in 2022 and joked that she took extra precautions to avoid any accidental ingestion of an illegal substance, and that a PED scandal would have landed her “in jail.”
“I miss it a lot, with all my heart. I miss it because I’m healthy,” Williams said. “If I couldn’t walk, or if I was so out of it, I wouldn’t miss it as much.”
Sinner’s suspension ends on May 4, having twice tested positive for the banned substance clostebol in March 2024 and is expected to make his return to the tour at the Italian Open, in the ATP 1000 clay-court tournament in Rome beginning on May 5.
The Italian has always maintained his innocence, claiming the drug entered his system through a massage from his trainer.
Stefanos Tsitsipas scratched and clawed his way past Sebastian Korda 7-6 (4), 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals at the ATP Barcelona Open for a fifth straight year on Wednesday.
But the Greek, a four-time finalist at the Real Club, was far from pleased with what he considered a sloppy showing.
“This is not a performance I;d be proud of. The only good thing was my fighting.
“My tennis was really not showing but I was still able to fight and that gave me the win at the end.”
The two-time Grand Slam finalist whose ranking has dropped to 16 after he failed to defend his Monte Carlo title last week, advanced into a last-eight match with Frenchman Arthur Fils, who has won both of their previous encounters.
Tsitsipas advanced with 15 winners and twice as many unforced errors on the Rafael Nadal court in the Catalan capital.
“It was not great in terms of level, II was surprised not to be even close in the return games.
“I did hold serve quite OK. It’s too early to say anything about my clay game. But winning definitely helps [psychologically.
“The more I can fight through matches like this; I need confidence to progress and get better over the next few weeks (leading to Roland Garros in a month).”
Alexander Zverev edged closer to a trophy hat-trick at the home ATP event in Munich on Wednesday , with the top seed crushing compatriot Daniel Altmaier 6-3, 6-2.
Zverev, who lost in the first round last week in Monte Carlo, claimed Munich titles in 2017 and 2018
The seed ranked third in the world needed less than 90 minutes to advance to the quarter-finals on the Bavarian clay,
Zverev finished off victory in his fourth match point, sending over a drop shot which Altmaier could not control.
Zverev advanced with 14 winners and 22 unforced errors, with Altmaier contributing 24 mistakes.
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