Lorenzo Sonego admits his struggles to keep up with Jannik Sinner’s relentless power game despite the World No.1’s absence from tennis for 3 months
Jannik Sinner will face either Mariano Navone or Federico Cina in the opening round of the Italian Open.
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Lorenzo Sonego and Jannik Sinner (image via X)
The tennis world is excited to see the return of its No. 1 player, Jannik Sinner, to tour after a three-month-long suspension. Sinner’s doping suspension ended recently, and he is gearing up for the Italian Open, where he will face either Mariano Navone or Federico Cina in the opening round.
Compatriot Lorenzo Sonego also expressed his delight at training with Sinner, during an interview with Gazetta. Lorenzo trained with his friend in Monte Carlo. Sinner was also joined by his other friend, Jack Draper, in training. Sonego and Sinner were a part of the team that exalted Italy in the Davis Cup in 2023, clinching the title after 47 years for their country. Sonego had his best performance of this season at the Australian Open, where he reached the quarterfinals.
Does his ball still weigh so much? Oh my God, how so! It’s been a long time since I’ve played at such a high pace and for such a long time, it’s really taken its toll on me. It’s a privilege to be able to train with the world number one. These days have been important for me too, to give me extra motivation.
Lorenzo Sonego via Gazzetta
Sinner, on the other hand, went on to defend his Australian Open title this year, defeating World No. 2 Alexander Zverev in the finals. Shortly after his triumph, the 23-year-old was banned for three months by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on account of his doping case, wherein he had tested positive twice for clostebol last year. His suspension, which ended on May 4, has been criticized by many for the perceived leniency and lack of transparency in the handling of the case.
Jannik Sinner reigns as the World No. 1 despite a three-month ban
Despite the three-month suspension, nobody has been able to overtake Jannik Sinner for the World No. 1 rank. The Italian’s big win in Melbourne gave him a 3,695-point lead over Alexander Zverev. During Sinner’s absence, there were four Masters 1000 tournaments. It looked like a chance for Zverev or World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz to catch up.
But both players struggled. Zverev had early exits in several tournaments, including Acapulco, Indian Wells, and Miami. He was briefly overtaken by Carlos Alcaraz for World No. 2 when the Spaniard won the Monte Carlo Masters. However, Alcaraz dipped back to his previous rank when he lost the Barcelona Open finals as Zverev clinched his first title of the season at the BMW Open on the same day.
Alcaraz withdrew from the Madrid Open due to an injury and is looking to clinch his maiden Italian Open title now. Zverev, on the other hand, will be looking to defend his title in the Italian capital. He is a two-time champion in Rome, having triumphed in 2017 and 2024. Sinner is yet to win a title on clay above an ATP 250 level.
Jannik Sinner addresses relationship rumors with Russian supermodel
While he expressed his delight to return to tour, during the press conference at Rome, ahead of the Masters 1000 tournament, Jannik Sinner also made some clarifications about his relationship rumors.
I saw there is also a lot of attention off the court. I was also very surprised to see some pictures. Nothing serious! I am not in a relationship, whoever says things. So all good!
Jannik Sinner via Italian Open press
Sinner, who was dating WTA star Anna Kalinskaya, was photographed with Russian supermodel Lara Leito in Monte Carlo last week. There was a lot of speculation that Sinner is now dating the 31-year-old, however, he has now cleared the air that he is not in a relationship.
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