Alexander Zverev casts doubts on Jannik Sinner’s form as the Italian returns after three-month doping suspension
Alexander Zverev and Jannik Sinner played each other in the Australian Open final earlier this year, with the Italian winning in 3 sets.
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Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev (Image via ATP/X)
Alexander Zverev, like many other players, is looking forward to Jannik Sinner’s return to the ATP Tour. The Italian is currently serving a three-month doping suspension, which ends on May 4.
However, the German believes it will be difficult for Sinner to maintain the form that helped him win his third Grand Slam title at the Australian Open earlier this year. The Italian defeated Zverev in straight sets in the final to defend his Melbourne crown from the previous year.
Will he come back stronger than before? I think it’s impossible: he started the season as he finished it, as number 1. Three months off, and not because of an injury, mind you, it’s not much. He was able to recharge his batteries and train in detail, perfecting his shots and movements. It will take very little for him to get back to the level of Melbourne.
Alexander Zverev said in an interview to Ubitennis
Sinner has been in astonishing form since the start of 2024. He has won three Grand Slams, three Masters 1000 titles, the ATP Finals, and helped Italy win the Davis Cup.
Thanks to these incredible achievements, Sinner became the first Italian to be ranked World No. 1 last June. He is set to return at the Rome Masters, a tournament he missed last year due to a hip injury.
Jannik Sinner remains the man to dethrone in the ATP rankings
World No.1 Jannik Sinner stays strong at the top of the ATP rankings. He didn’t play last week, and neither did the rest of the top 10. Still, Sinner holds a solid 2,685-point lead over Alexander Zverev. Carlos Alcaraz is in third, 925 points behind Zverev.
Sinner has now spent 44 straight weeks as world No. 1. That moves him ahead of Gustavo Kuerten on the all-time list. Next up is Jim Courier, who held the top spot for 58 weeks. Sinner is climbing fast with no signs of slowing down.
Further down the rankings, Jack Draper reached a new career high at No. 6. He moved up after Casper Ruud dropped points for not defending his semi-final spot from the 2024 Estoril event. Taylor Fritz and Novak Djokovic remain in the top five.
Jenson Brooksby had a big week in Houston. He started as world No. 507 and won the title, beating top players like Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe. It was his first ATP title after three previous final losses. He’s now one of the lowest-ranked players to ever win a title, behind only Marin Cilic and Lleyton Hewitt.
Points Jannik Sinner will drop in Monte Carlo
The top players will begin their Monte Carlo Masters runs from the second round. Jannik Sinner, however, won’t be taking part. The world No. 1 is still serving a three-month ban. He will also skip Madrid and Barcelona but is expected to return at the Italian Open in May.
Even though Sinner isn’t playing, he will still lose 400 points from last year’s semi-final run. That will take his total from 10,330 to 9,930 points. Still, he will stay at the top since Alexander Zverev, in second place, is too far behind.
Zverev lost in the third round last year and will drop just 50 points. A strong result in Monte Carlo could help him close the gap. Carlos Alcaraz, who missed the event last year due to injury, has no points to defend. If he wins the title and Zverev exits early, Alcaraz could jump ahead.
Taylor Fritz lost early last year and is not competing this time. Novak Djokovic made it to the semi-finals in 2024, so he will lose 400 points. The Monte Carlo tournament has fewer players than events like Indian Wells or Miami, so the points system is slightly different.
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