Andy Roddick has ‘zero worries’ about Jannik Sinner’s form after comeback from doping ban but Italian will feel ‘jitters’ in Rome
Jannik Sinner will be making his comeback at the Italian Open which he will be playing for the first time since 2023.
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Jannik Sinner, Andy Roddick (Image via X/Tennis Channel)
Jannik Sinner‘s three-month doping ban from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) will be lifted just a few days later. He is preparing for the Italian Open where he will make his much-awaited comeback.
Former World No.1 Andy Roddick is not all worried about Sinner’s form. Sinner will be playing the Italian Open for the first time since 2023 as last year, he skipped the tournament because of an injury. As he will be playing his home tournament after a long time, Roddick thinks the World No.1 could deal with “jitters“.
I worry about him zero over the long term, but if it’s just a small sample size as a broom, a small sample size can tell many stories. I’m not worried about his movement, I thought he looked actually great on the clay last year. We kind of forget that he was a set away from beating Carlos Alcaraz in the semis of Roland Garros last year. So I think he will be fine long term.
Andy Roddick said on Tennis Channel
The last time Sinner played in Rome, he was defeated by Francisco Cerundolo in three sets. Last year on the clay swing, Sinner made deep runs in every tournament he played, including at the French Open where in the semifinal, he lost a five-set thrilling match against eventual winner Alcaraz. It was Sinner’s best performance at Roland Garros as he is yet to reach the final.
Stan Wawrinka believes Jannik Sinner’s doping controversy is hurting tennis
Stan Wawrinka criticized the way Jannik Sinner‘s doping case was handled. Wawrinka, who previously tweeted that he didn’t believe in clean sport anymore, pointed out how in the past, players were handed lengthy bans for similar doping cases and also when they didn’t share the details of their exact location.
It’s been handled in a way that I think is hurting tennis, simply because at the end of the day you ask yourself what the fight is that you’re trying to win. Are you really looking for the positive players or is it all about having a good lawyer who gets you out of the case in the best possible way?
Stan Wawrinka told Eurosport France
Sinner failed the drug test in March last year as clostebol was found in his body twice. The banned anabolic steroid entered his body during physiotherapy sessions as his former physio Giacomo Naldi was using a contaminated spray.
When the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) declared him innocent, the WADA approached the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to demand a ban of between one and two years. But before the scheduled CAS hearing, the WADA reached a case resolution with Sinner and suspended him for just three months.
Jannik Sinner has played just the Australian Open so far
Jannik Sinner kick-started his campaign for the season at the Australian Open which he defended by beating World No.2 Alexander Zverev in straight sets. After taking home his third Grand Slam title, the 23-year-old chose not to defend the Rotterdam Open.
He then arrived in Doha for the Qatar Open but before his campaign, the WADA announced that they had banned Sinner for three months. Despite his ban, neither Zverev nor Carlos Alcaraz were successful in dethroning him from the top.
Sinner has 9,730 points in the live rankings, while Zverev, who defeated Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the third round of the Madrid Open, is sitting in the second position with 8,085 points. World No.3 Alcaraz, who withdrew from the tournament due to an injury, has 7,850 points.
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