Jannik Sinner’s Opening-Round Opponent Warns Him About ‘Spoiling’ His Comeback at Italian Open
Jannik Sinner has never reached the final of the Italian Open, where he will be bidding to win his second title of the season.
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Jannik Sinner (Image via ATP/X)
Jannik Sinner is all set to make his much-awaited comeback after the three-month doping suspension. On Saturday (May 10), Sinner will be locking horns with Mariano Navone in the second round of the Italian Open. The upcoming match will be their first meeting on the tour.
Prior to setting up the clash with the World No.1, Navone eliminated Federico Cina in straight sets. And ahead of the second-round match, the Argentinian said that he is hoping to knock the home favorite out of the tournament.
I hope I can spoil his comeback a little, but it will be something special. It will be a very difficult match. It will be special to play against Sinner on his return day and in Rome. Jannik is an incredible, impressive player. He has already won a lot at his age. I have to prepare my match to try to win.
Mariano Navone said at the press conference
The clash with Navone will be Sinner’s first match since the Australian Open final against Alexander Zverev this year. He breezed past the German in straight sets to defend his crown as well as become a three-time Grand Slam champion. After the Major event Down Under, Sinner skipped the Rotterdam Open which he had won last year. He instead flew back to Italy and later started his preparation for the Qatar Open.
But before the start of the main draw events in Doha, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced that they had reached a settlement agreement with Sinner and handed him a ban of three months. During the three months, Sinner missed four Masters 1000 tournaments: Indian Wells, the Miami Open, the Monte Carlo Masters, and the Madrid Open. Despite his ban, World No.2 Zverev and World No.3 Carlos Alcaraz failed to remove him from the top of the rankings table.
Brad Gilbert says Jannik Sinner’s comeback after his doping ban will be difficult
After the Rome Open, Jannik Sinner will be playing in the Hamburg European Open before landing in Paris for the French Open. Ahead of his comeback, Coco Gauff‘s former coach Brad Gilbert said that Sinner wants to get match practice in Rome and Hamburg so that he can play to his full potential in the next two Grand Slam tournaments.
If you are out through injury it’s probably easier. This is a much more difficult scenario to come back from because mentally, how do you keep practicing for this? I think the whole goal is to get matches at Rome, Hamburg and then be ready for Paris and Wimbledon.
Brad Gilbert told Tennis Channel
Sinner will be making his sixth appearance his Rome. His best in the tournament came in 2022 when he reached the quarterfinals and lost the match to Stefanos Tsitsipas. Sinner skipped his home tournament last year because of an injury.
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are projected to lock horns in the final
Jannik Sinner, in the quarterfinals of the Italian Open, could meet two-time French Open finalist Casper Ruud, who recently became the first Norwegian to win a Masters 1000 title when he beat Jack Draper in the Madrid Open final. In the semifinals then, Sinner could run into Alex de Minaur, Taylor Fritz, or Joao Fonseca.
If he advances to the final, he could set up a blockbuster clash with Carlos Alcaraz against whom he trails 4-6 in the head-to-head encounter. Sinner was pitted against the four-time Grand Slam champion thrice last year and he lost all three matches. Last year, Sinner, who won eight official titles, registered a 73-6 win-loss record, and half of his defeats came against Alcaraz.
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