“Judged by his own shadow,” Andy Roddick issues warning to Jannik Sinner ahead of Roland Garros
Jannik Sinner is expected to make his return to the tennis tour after three month ban at the Rome Masters.
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Andy Roddick, Jannik Sinner (Images via ATP/X)
Andy Roddick believes Jannik Sinner’s lack of training during his suspension could hurt his performance. The American tennis legend thinks time away from the court, especially without practice, may impact Sinner’s sharpness when he returns. The world No. 1 is serving a three-month ban after testing positive for clostebol in March 2024. Under the terms of his settlement with WADA, he is not allowed to train during this period.
To stay busy, Sinner has turned to other activities. He has been spotted playing padel and golf, skiing, hiking, and even attending a Gucci fashion show. Recently, he also took part in go-karting with former F1 driver Antonio Giovinazzi. While he seems to be enjoying his time off, the real question is how this break will affect his form when he returns to competition.
He will be returning to a surface that is probably not his favorite. That doesn’t mean he isn’t good on that surface, but he is judged by his own shadow and if there are performances, something concrete, then he will be dominant. His preparation for Paris will probably be affected. I don’t think you can be out for three months and come back as if nothing has changed. It might be like riding a bike, but I don’t think playing a normal schedule and then not playing for three months is the same.
Andy Roddick said on Served Podcast
Sinner has already missed major tournaments like Indian Wells and Miami but still leads the ATP rankings. No player has been able to close the gap, and he will also skip the Monte-Carlo and Madrid Masters. His return is set for the Rome Masters in May, where all eyes will be on him to see if he can regain his dominance.
Clay has never been Sinner’s best surface. He missed the Rome Open last year due to injury, and his best result there was a quarterfinal finish in 2022. Most of his success has come on hard courts, where he has won 17 of his 19 ATP titles. However, he did prove his ability on clay by reaching the French Open semifinals last year, pushing Carlos Alcaraz to five sets. His return to the tour will be a big test of his adaptability and resilience.
Alexander Zverev gives boost to Jannik Sinner’s World No.1 ranking
World No.1 Jannik Sinner remains the biggest winner in the ATP Rankings as his top rivals struggle. The three-time Grand Slam champion became world No. 1 in June 2024, replacing Novak Djokovic. Since then, he has built a strong lead over Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz.
At the start of the year, Sinner extended his lead after defending his Australian Open title. However, his ranking took a hit when he received a three-month suspension due to a failed drug test in March last year. This gave Zverev and Alcaraz a chance to close the gap as Sinner was unable to defend his Miami Open title.
Alcaraz and Zverev both had chances but struggled in key tournaments. Alcaraz lost early in Qatar and then failed in Indian Wells and Miami, hurting his No. 1 hopes. Zverev also had early exits, including a fourth-round loss in Miami, making it difficult for him to overtake Sinner.
According to the live rankings, Sinner holds 10,330 points, while Zverev has 7,645. Both will lose points in Monte Carlo and Madrid, but Sinner will still have a lead of 2,285 points. Zverev must win three upcoming tournaments before Sinner returns in May if he hopes to become world No. 1.
Jannik Sinner has a huge chunk of points to defend for the remainder of the season
Italian tennis star Jannik Sinner will play in the Rome Masters as he prepares to return from his ban. The world No. 1 missed the tournament last year due to a hip injury that affected most of his clay season.
The Rome Masters offers Sinner a great chance to recover some of the ranking points he lost from previous tournaments. He has already dropped 1,000 points from Miami and will lose another 360 points from Monte Carlo due to his suspension.
However, things will get tougher for him later in the season. Sinner will be the defending champion at Halle, a Wimbledon warm-up event, but he has an opportunity to gain points at SW19 since he only reached the quarterfinals last year.
After that, almost every tournament he plays will be one where he is defending a title. He will enter the Cincinnati Masters, US Open, Shanghai Masters, and ATP Finals as the reigning champion, making his ranking defense even more challenging.
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