Jannik Sinner opens up on difficulties of accepting 3-month WADA agreement on his doping suspension
Jannik Sinner will be meeting Mariano Navone or Federico Cina in his opening-round match of the Italian Open.
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Jannik Sinner (Image via X/The Tennis Podcast)
Jannik Sinner will be playing his first match since the Australian Open final on Friday (May 9) in the Italian Open as his three-month ban ended on May 4. Sinner will be playing his home tournament for the first time since 2023 as last year, he skipped it due to an injury.
Sinner will be kick-starting his campaign against Mariano Navone or Federico Cina. The three-time Grand Slam champion so far has played just one tournament this year.
In the first Major of the season Down Under, he defended his crown by breezing past Alexander Zverev. After skipping the Rotterdam Open, when he was gearing up for the Qatar Open, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced that they had reached a settlement agreement with the Italian and withdrew their Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) appeal.
Because of the three-month ban, he missed four Masters 1000 events: Indian Wells, the Miami Open, the Monte Carlo Masters, and the recently concluded Madrid Open. The qualifying rounds of the Italian Open are underway at the courts of Foro Italico and ahead of the main draw, scheduled to start on May 7, Sinner made his feelings known about his three-month suspension.
Personally, I am very happy that the sanction did not coincide with any Grand Slam. At first, I didn’t want to reach an agreement, but it was all or nothing. It wasn’t easy to accept the agreement because I knew what had happened, but sometimes you have to accept what’s best at the worst possible moment. And I am very happy that it’s over.
Jannik Sinner said at the press conference
The case resolution from the WADA was quite shocking, given that they insisted last year on several occasions that Sinner should receive a ban of between one and two years because of the ignorance of his team members.
Sinner, after testing positive for clostebol twice in March last year, was declared innocent by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) because the banned anabolic steroid entered his body due to his former physio, Giacomo Naldi, who was using a contaminated spray to heal a cut on his finger.
Jannik Sinner says winning the French Open is his main goal
Jannik Sinner knows that playing a tournament after a long gap won’t be easy for him, for he doesn’t have any match practice. And the fact that he will be making his comeback during the clay swing makes things more difficult for him.
So far in his career, Sinner has captured just one clay-court title: the 2022 Umag Open. Last year, the 23-year-old lifted eight official titles but on the clay swing, he was unsuccessful in reaching a final.
After the Italian Open, Sinner will be playing in the Hamburg European Open, before starting his bid for his first French Open title. The World No.1 wants to get a lot of match practice in Rome and Hamburg so that he comes prepared for the clay-court Major.
The main goal is Paris. These weeks will help me see what tennis I am playing. I am not here to beat everyone; I am here to challenge myself. Every match is difficult, and the start of a new tournament is always tricky.
Jannik Sinner said at the press conference
Last year at the French Open, Sinner lost a tough five-set semifinal against eventual winner Carlos Alcaraz. He has not yet reached the final of the French Open.
Despite being away from the courts for three months, no player was successful in dethroning him from the top. He has 9,730 rankings, which is 1,500-plus points more than what second-ranked Alexander Zverev has.
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