World No. 1 Jannik Sinner says he’s mentally ready to return to the tennis court after his three-month anti-doping ban but is wondering how his body will hold up when he competes in the Italian Open this week.
“The body still has to adjust,” said the tournament’s top seed, who has a first-round bye. “The blisters on the hands, they’ll come again when you’re not used to it anymore.
“But all good. I’m just very happy and very curious to see where I’m at.”
Sinner practiced Monday in front of about 5,000 fans in his home country after being unable to return to training until April 13 under the terms of the anti-doping agreement.
“What’s missing for me is the complete feedback of where my level is. That’s going to come slowly with time of playing,” said Sinner, who will start the tournament facing either Mariano Navone or Italian wild card Federico Cinà. “After the first-round match, I’m going to have a good picture of myself and where I’m at. “
Sinner agreed on Feb. 15 to a three-month ban from tennis for violating anti-doping rules. He was originally sanctioned in August with minimal penalty after two positive tests for clostebol, a banned anabolic steroid.
At the time, the International Tennis Integrity Agency said the 23-year-oid Italian was not at fault and that the steroid had entered his system when a support team member who had been using an over-the-counter spray that contained the substance to treat his own wound passed it on to Sinner through therapy performed without gloves.
However, the World Anti-Doping Agency appealed the ITIA ruling the following month. Before the next hearing could be held, Sinner agreed to the three-month ban, the timing of which prevented him from missing any Grand Slams.
“This kind of agreement, I didn’t want to do it in the beginning,” Sinner admitted on Monday. “It was not easy for me to accept it because I know what really happened, but sometimes we have to choose the best in a very bad moment.”
Sinner, who has a 9-5 career in Rome, is a native of the German-speaking Alto Adige region of northern Italy. He said spending time with his family during the ban was helpful.
“At the start I was a bit confused because I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do. Then I went home and stayed with my family. I tried to understand better what was really important to me,” Sinner said.
“I know how many sacrifices I made and my daily routine was always practice, practice, practice. But at that moment I didn’t have any of that. I came to understand that what’s important to me are the people by your side. That they give you the strength to move forward and continue smiling.”
Sinner missed back-to-back ATP Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami in March, and in Monte Carlo and Madrid in April but retained his No. 1 ranking.
Sinner is 7-0 this season and was 73-6 in 2024, winning eight of his 19 career titles, including the Australian Open, the U.S. Open and the Nitto ATP Finals.
–Field Level Media
